Stargazing
by MusoukaS
Summary: So, one day you're just doing your job, working hard at the hotel and boom! Seth MacFarlane pops in appears in Chapter two and up . Warning: this is not meant to be a quick, sexy fic, but a slow, romantic one. Rated T for strong language.
1. Chapter one

Chapter one

* * *

The sky is clear; not a single cloud presents itself. The illustrious sun has taken this opportunity to shine its brightest. As I slowly reach the highest point of the small mountain, I can't help but smirk to myself. The view is astonishing: I'm surrounded by several mountains, ones far bigger than this one, with a valley in the middle. Plenty of trees and other greens are growing widely there, living among a few, but rare animal species.

Unexpectedly, I hear a whistling cry coming from above me. I look up and see a Red-tailed Hawk soar above me with its beautiful brown broad, rounded wings fully spread open.

It's majestic.

Nature's beauty always has a way of surprising me and taking my breath away.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, taking in the refreshing scent of the pine trees below.

All of the sudden, the hard soil underneath me starts to shake and crack as a result of it. The cracks become so big, that the earth manages to swallow me whole. I fall several yards, until an ocean breaks my descent. Once I come to the surface, I look around. A shade of midnight blue, almost pitch-black, stretches as far as one can see. In my confusion, I start to feel a slight tugging at my feet. The force becomes stronger and stronger with each passing moment as I desperately fight back. Before I know it, it hauls my whole body. It slowly but surely starts to suck me in in a circular motion, draining my energy. The whirlwind's grip is too strong for me and I give up.

Suddenly, I sit straight up, exhaling deeply and awaken from my dream. It doesn't take long for me to realize that I'm completely drenched. I touch my face. It's cold and.. wet. I slightly rub it with my t-shirt to get the liquid off of me and I manage to get some off. I look up and see the perpetrator staring at me, giggling like a little schoolgirl.

"_You!_", I hiss, quickly starting to remove the sodden sheet from my body as I notice how my attacker makes a run for it, "Get back here, James!".

It takes me a little while to untangle myself from the piece of fabric, but eventually, I break completely free and start to run after my roommate. I can hear him laughing, the bastard. I put my chase to a brusque halt and listen closely to its origin.

It's coming from the bathroom.

I make my way over there and try the handle, but it is in vain. I should've known better - he locked the damn thing.

"What the hell," I shout from across, "What was that for?!"

I can hear him gasp for air, if he's not to busy laughing for his little prank was a grand success.

"Have you. Looked. At the. Time?", he barely manages to ask.

"No, why would I-", my voice trails off as I turn my back to the door and direct my gaze on the timer of the oven. 5:00pm. My eyes grow wide.

"Oh, sweet baby Jesus!"

I run back towards my room and quickly start to go through my closet, in search for my uniform.

"Why didn't you wake me any sooner?!"

A small click is heard. Footsteps are approaching.

"I've tried. You're not exactly a light sleeper", James says, his head poking through the doorway of my bedroom. I glance over at him, realizing how much this guy infuriates me with his unique, yet utterly stupid solutions. "Don't be such a grump", he teases me. I roll my eyes in response as I go through my underwear drawer.

James turns round and walks away while I silently and quickly dress myself.

"Secretly, you think I'm amazing", James says when I finally exit my bedroom, thirty minutes later. I raise an eyebrow, but quickly shake it off.

"Yes, oh mighty Mr. Davies. If I didn't have you, I wouldn't know what to do. I'd be so lost", I say dramatically as I grab the car keys from a tray beside the front door and toss them towards my male counterpart. I nod towards the door, gesturing him to get up and make a move. A wide, cheeky grin appears on his face as he follows me to the car.

After a fifteen minute drive, James parks the car right on the doorstep of our destination. "See you in a bit", he says, waving at me as I get out. I simply nod back in comprehension, slightly confused. I choose to let it slide and turn round, to face the monstrous building now in front of me. I take a deep breath as I enter the hotel, dreading.

I'm greeted by an enormous and open hallway, with a simple staircase in the middle, yet don't let its looks deceive you - it's made of the finest wood, with its railing painted in licorice and the stairs itself russet. The hallway is decorated in an old-fashion way, fairly Victorian with a minor modern pinch. Several shades of yellow have been used to paint the walls. A very deftly Chandelier hangs from the wall. Several well-crafted paintings hang upon the walls. But its greatest, and my personal favorite, masterpiece is the Spanish Macael grey and white marble tiles.

It screams elegance, luxury and royalty, yet it has a bit of a grim touch to it. It invites, it welcomes, yet there's something holding me back, creating some sort of distance. I've often wondered why - I recently came to the conclusion that it probably misses the warm touch of a woman.

"Hey!", a voice abruptly yells from my right, quickly ending my daydream.

_"Oh, God, no. Oh God, no. Please, I can't deal with this right now"_, I silently mumble to myself, closing my eyes.

All of the sudden, I feel someone placing their arm around my shoulder. _Fuck!_ In an instant, I open my eyes, look to my right and fake the most biggest smile ever. I should get a fucking gold medal for achieving and maintaining the perfect hypocrisy. If that ever would become an Olympic Sport. Which it should.

"Hey," I manage to say through gritted teeth, not meaning a damn thing of what I'm saying, "I'm so happy to see you".

"I'm happy to see you as well, Liz", she says as she embraces me tightly.

Feeling as if all the life is slowly being drained from my body with each passing second, I smile at her, what I assume should be, loving gesture. I never really got to understand the purpose of these deadly motions, was it something completely British? I mentally shake my head. Whatever it was, they seemed to be appropriate with every assembly, making it a daily occurrence. And boy, did I loathe it.

"Oh, get a room, you two", a voice from behind suddenly says. She immediately lets go off me and I can't help but let out a sigh of relief.

_Thank God, ehr - James. Thank James._

"James!", she suddenly squeals as she walks up to him to give him a big hug as well, but before she can do so, he raises his hand and places a finger on her nose, tapping it lightly, "Girlfriend, no. I just got this baby back from the dry cleaner's. I'd like to keep it intact". He gestures at his outfit as he's dressed as sharp as ever, with a white shirt, a roman silver tie, a onyx-colored vest, a jet black jacket - with matching pants and leather shoes, and of course, a very classy black leather belt.

"Y-you actually look handsome", I say, taken aback and stuttering.

"Bitch, I always look fabulous", he says and straightens his tie.

I intentionally raise an eyebrow, but can't stop the smirk from creeping up and tugging at the corners of my lips as I stare into James' eyes. An awkward silence lurks around the corner and I feel assigned to not let it get that far.

I break eye-contact, "We, eh, need to get to work, right?".

"Yes", my colleagues say in unison, having felt the tension build up as well. The holy trinity breaks up as we all go our own, separate ways.

* * *

I fear you're either going to love my main character or you'll think she's a bitch. Just like James does.

No, but really, I'm trying to put some depth (I didn't think I was also going to do this with symbolism, but what the heck) into this story as I'm planning to have it run long. That's why I did a shitload of research for this story (which I never do). I also blame my interest in drama, psychology and philosophy. I fear that's going to be in this story. Probably. And Seth should appear somewhere soon (hint: next chapter).

Note: I am not a native English speaker. I try to hide this with using fancy, confusing words. Which - I'm sure - you've noticed by now.

Note two: If you don't really like visual writing, I advice you to click away - right this instant. I focus heavily on slow pacing, apparently drama and visual writing. Also very noticeable.

Annnyywaayss.

Any of you noticed the hints I've been giving? If so, give me your thoughts in a review, I'm curious! Like, what's your take on where you think this is taking place? Where is the main character from (hint: symbolism)? What can you say about the characters thus far? Who do you think will have the biggest reaction to Seth, out of all three?


	2. Chapter two

Chapter two

* * *

The hotel had been swamped with customers these past few weeks - both famous and not, but with the Proms slowly drawing to its conclusion, so were the customers.

Whereas the Barclay brothers beforehand feared the staff would be shorthanded because of the recent, but lengthy event, more staff had been hired to compromise for the sudden and extensive flow of foreign tourists. With that flow now abruptly decreasing in size, the huge amount of staff was no longer required, but as one can't breach a contract, they were here to stay for the whole, long run. In result, instead of being extremely shorthanded, some of us were boring ourselves to death with no available work to do.

And it was getting on people's nerves.

"Hey.. Liz…?", a faint voice mutters beside me as I approach the front desk. For all to view, colleague or customer, Karen's upper body is draped all over said desk, completely stretched, with her head resting on its wooden surface. Her eyes are firmly shut.

I raise a single eyebrow and bite my lip in anticipation, afraid of what is going to come, "Yes?".

Karen had been one of the newly-hired staff members who had to make up for the increased flood of customers. Sadly, most of them were quickly selected, without a proper background or credentials check. And in Karen's case, I couldn't help but think they'd simply hired her because of her great looks and nice rack - they were huge and so was Karen's mouth. The most disastrous you could do to ruin a 5 star hotel is employing a loud and obnoxious 21-year old girl, um -_ secretary_, I mean.

"It's nearly 11 pm."

"So?"

_I've almost managed to survive five hours…_

_… of doing absolutely nothing._

"Mr. Peng is about to arrive."

"….What?", I frown deeply. Surely, the lack of stimulation must be getting to her. Even though I wonder if her brain gets any kind of stimulation at all.

"There's this customer who checks in every evening at 11", she pauses to get off of the desk and stand upright onto her highheels as I motion her to continue - customers checking in late wasn't that strange or unheard of, "And the lad's fit as fuck!".

I remain silent, feeling slightly offended and confused as I feel the need to grab a dictionary that's specifically directed at people trying to understand the British language and different kinds of slang.

"You haven't seen him, have you?", she casually asks as she straightens her clothes. I simply give her a stern look.

"Oh boy, you're missing out", she says before grabbing a little mirror from one of the cabinets behind her, which she apparently hid there, and starts to re-do her eyeshadow, mascara and lipgloss, right behind the main front desk.

_Very professional._

Maybe, just maybe, I can't help but wonder if she chased the customers away with her immature behavior.

"Wait," I look at her, eyebrows frown even deeper - if that's possible, but she never meets my gaze, still busy applying her make-up, "How come you know he always checks in at 11?"

She stops but doesn't say a word. It takes a few minutes, but then a light bulb hits me right in the face. "Oh, God, no. Have you been stalking him?!", I whisper into her ear, almost giving into the urge to rip the black pencil out of her hand and throw it into the trash, along with the rest of her attributes, but with every little fiber in my body, I manage to resist this, what seems completely and perfectly at this moment, human reaction.

"Well, I wouldn't really call it as much as stalking," she continues her activity, "I simply have a good eye. He checks in every day, around the same time. It's like a routine".

I suspiciously glance at her, afraid of what other information she might've discovered about our customer and hope that she did not gain it on such a way that's against our hotel's policy. Even if I do imagine her doing a full sweep of his room and thereby invading his privacy. Or maybe she bribed one of the maids.

I closely watch how she quite skillfully applies the make-up,"You're making yourself look pretty for him, aren't you?"

"I was actually going for smoking hot", she finishes refreshing herself by putting a pink lipgloss on, "But I'll settle for sexy". The mirror and the make-up has disappeared in a flash and she looks up at me, smiling widely.

"He's really, _really _good-looking".

She looks at her watch.

"10:50", Karen mumbles and licks her lips, pre-tasting her lipgloss, "He should be here soon".

"Who should be here soon?", a voice from behind us questions, making us jump up. We turn around to face James.

"Apparently this _really_handsome man, according to Karen", I reply, looking quite sarcastically. James looks at Karen and she shrugs in defense, "He really is"

All of the sudden, the glass-paneled doors open and a few men walk through. They seem in deep conversation, but they definitely catch our attention. At least, James' and Karen's.

Karen bites her lip and places her elbow on the desk, letting her head rest upon her hand. She sighs lightly, "It's the left one. Isn't he just tasty?".

Both James and I immediately shift our gazes to the left man, intrigued.

Our target is a fairly tall man with jet black hair and it's mainly done in a straight manner, but with a gelled-up duck tail in the middle, standing proud. He seems to have dark eyes and he obviously hasn't shaven today, as a little scruff is clearly present. His ears are oddly shaped, probably from surgery to remove his floppy ears. He's tan, though. I can't really decide whether or not his chin has been implanted, as it has the most unusual shape. He walks in a slightly hunched manner and he seems to take the dress code a little to serious - he's wearing an onyx silk suit, with a white dress shirt underneath it. To top it off, he's wearing a jet black bowtie.

I'm lightly disappointed to find out that our Mr. Peng isn't Asian, but more likely either a posh business man or a Hollywood snob, judging by his American accent. I can clearly see why Karen likes him so much - he's just like her: fake. And most likely gay.

"He's a beast!," James suddenly says, licking his lips, "If given the chance, I'd ride his flagpole".

"But not before I take it for a spin", Karen beams, eyeing the man and obviously trying to undress him with her eyes. Peng and his posse slowly disappear to our right, where the hotel's bar is located, but not before looking around and giving many, including us, either a slow nod of the head or a smile, acknowledging us and other staff members.

I scoff and immediately have four eyes staring at me, "What?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that", James says, looking away.

"Why?"

"Because you're either blind or just really, really conflicted if he just didn't make you soaking wet".

"I know it did for me", Karen says, waving a hand in front of her face as if it should cool her down. She lets out a sigh and smiles ever so endearing as she stares at the spot where our Peng has dropped out of sight.

"Or maybe I'm the only sane, professional person in this place", I say angrily before turning around and nearly storming off, leaving two perplexed gossipmongers behind.

"What just happened?", James ask, blinking a couple of times as he's still progressing what just occurred.

* * *

Please, _please_don't bite my head off for criticizing Seth like that.

But yes, our main character doesn't quite like Seth just yet.

I'm just really curious, though. Did you guys expected James to be gay? Did I hint it out too much in chapter one?

Anyways, let me know what you thought, if you have any questions, any remarks, maybe any hints or improvement, all is welcome!

Thank you for reading. See you in the next one!


	3. Chapter two point five

Chapter two point five

* * *

11:15 pm.

_Fuck!_

I realize I managed to stay a whole ten minutes in one of the ladies' bathroom, locked up in one of its stalls - simply to call myself down. After the precious ten minutes, filled with mentally swearing, calling names and bitch-slapping my colleagues in the face, I unlock the damn thing, get out and place both of my hands on the marble surface of the lengthy wash-basin.

I let out a long, deep sigh and directed my stare at myself, looking back at my being through a gigantic mirrow in front of me.

It might've been the warm temperature that'd upset me, or maybe the lack of proper attitude from James and Karen. Or maybe the combination of both. I'm not certain.

I look at my watch again.

A little less than three hours to go.

_I can do this. I can pull this off. _

I fix my appearance, straightening my hair and clothes and make my way back to work.


	4. Chapter three

Chapter three

* * *

Today is friday, which means that inventories have to be made for the upcoming week. As Director of Food & Beverage, those inventories always were a pain in the ass, as the title says: you'll have to do a complete inventory for two different sections: food and beverage. That means - the entire food and beverage operation of the hotel, and keeping all of this within the available budget. You'll have to order just the right amount of it, which varies each week as it fully depends on how many customers you have. Not forgetting that some of the customers may have certain wishes concerning food - such as allergies or even simple things as a particular diet.

Food wasting away will only cost the hotel money, as the profit margin will decrease. Luckily, having Gordon Ramsay on board is a very good thing. Even though he has the biggest temper and you can piss him off in a heartbeat, he truly is a hard worker, demands perfection and does most of the inventory for the restaurant.

Did I mention he's very precise?

He's been a blessing for having the correct amount of supplies and making sure nothing is waisted.

Absolutely _nothing._

With him helping me out, I only need to worry about the beverage department. This, amongst many things, implies checking up on the bartenders and doing daily check-ups on the liquor sales.

I've reached my destiny within minutes and enter the main bar. The bar attracts a lot of people, whether they are tourists, Londoners meeting for a night out or famous celebrities - it's literally everyone. It's one of my favorite places of the hotel, even though the whole hotel itself is astonishingly beautiful.

For the bars, we have a strict 'formal to smart-casual only' policy. It's a stylish bar, completely done in 1930's Art Deco. It has plaster moldings and beams, all in fairly light coloring with here and there darker shades. The flooring is oak panel. I personally find the room to have a lovely, old-fashioned ambiance.

A green glass chandelier hangs from the silver-leafed ceiling. There are red leather banquettes, with more or less the same design of barstools. The banquettes are placed in cozy corners with soft lighting for some are several small-rounded tables located throughout the room, with each shiny table decorated with a single dark rose. The bar itself has several bouquets of either white or red roses, depending on the season or holiday.

Behind the bar, there's a full and extensive row of various liquor - liqueurs, cognac, different types of whisky and whiskey, rum, sherry, port, tequila, vodka, gin and so on. All is great quality. It's quite the sight and to be honest, I'm fairly proud of it.

To top it all, there is live music every day in the form of a pianist.

"Um, madam?", a voice suddenly says, tearing me from my daydream.

"Huh?," I look around and find myself squatted down, checking the temperature of the cooling system. Doing this on a daily basis made it routine. I clear my throat, "Yes, Keil?"

"Well, I was wondering if, um, if," he pauses and blushes lightly as I look up, meeting his gaze, "if we have Jack Daniels? I can't seem to find it."

"You mean Old No: 7?"

Keil looks in front of him for a few seconds, swallowing hard with a questionable look on his face as he starts to sweat lightly. I take it that a certain customer has requested this particular drink, even though no one on the other side of the bar vocally confirms my questions.

"Yes", he says, looking down at me again.

"No, we don't," I get up, my back directed at the bar as I start to go through several bottles, "We do have something else from the same distillery, though". I find the bottle I'm looking for and place it on top of the bar. "It's called _'Gentleman's Jack'_and it's a bit more complex than Old No: 7. It's been charcoal mellowed twice, instead of usual once. That makes for a very smooth whiskey, with a rich but sweet taste of fruit and herbs."

"If you'd like, you can try it out and see if it's to your liking", I say, looking up and finally looking at the customer. Quite unexpectedly, I meet Mr. Peng's eyes, which are deep, brown pools and I feel myself sucking into them. My mouth suddenly seems to become fairly dry. I cock my head lightly, closing my eyes for a second to shake the feeling off of me.

_No wonder Keil's nervous._

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, showing his pearly-white teeth.

He noticed.

I realize that my behavior humors him. _The bastard_. "Sure", he replies, his voice as seemingly complex and rich as the drink before our eyes, but he doesn't seem to care much about the drink as he keeps staring at me with the same look.

I simply smile back as nicely as I can, even though I don't really mean it at all. I can feel him still staring at me as I grab a glass from behind the counter. It's making me feel awkward. I've always hated people staring at me as I was doing something, even when I was younger.

_Is there something on my face?_

Uncapping the bottle and pouring the drink in, I say, "I'll be adding a little bit of water to it, if that's okay with you. The water activates the fruit, giving it that sweet taste". At this point, I realize I make a lot of hand gestures as I speak. I notice because, somehow, Mr. Peng has found a dazzling interest in it and has started to glance, however brief, at my hands. He stops as he probably takes notice that I've asked him something and stopped talking, with my eyes practically stabbing his forehead as I can't help but wonder if he uses botox.

He simply nods in agreement and I do as told. I then stir the glass a little, mixing the amber-colored liquid with the water and give him the drink.

"This fine young man here said you were the bar manager", I look to my right and look at Peng's friend. He seems much older than Peng and less touched up, "Is that true?"

"Yes"

My mind starts to wander off again. I can't help but wonder how these two met and what their relationship is. _Are they friends? Best friends? Fuck buddies? Lovers? If so, do they have a child together? Several children? _My mind starts to picture the two of them together and how their offspring would look like. Mentally, I shudder in disgust.

"For how long? Pardon me," he says, slightly mocking, "But you don't seem very old"

Peng looks at his friend as he takes a sip from his drink and his friend looks back, shrugging lightly as if to say, _"What? Can't a guy ask?"_. Even though it might've been a completely harmless questions, I feel slightly offended. I can't help but ask myself if it's because I'm a woman. He seems a bit stereotypical like that.

"I've been in the hospitality business for about 10 years. I think I got this", I say, winking at the last part. I direct my gaze back at Peng, who seems awfully humored by my reaction as I can see him gloat, smirking widely at his friend. I feel the need to raise an eyebrow, but manage to prevent myself from doing so.

"How's the gentleman?", I ask and immediately regret asking it, as one might take it the wrong way. I sure as hell would've.

"It's…", he pauses, clears his throat, "surprisingly good".

I start to chuckle. All three men look at me, confused.

"I'm so sorry, I don't mean to be rude or anything. I certainly don't want you to think that I'm a racist or anything. I mean, I love gays. They're the best people to shop with", I say, attempting to make amends.

Peng's eyes shift several times from left to right, processing what I've just said. He then lightly cocks his head and looks at me, sternly, "I'm not a homosexual".

"Yeah, right, and I'm currently _not _wearing a push-up bra", I chuckle once more, this time a little louder, obviously amused.

All three men immediately look at my chest area and my cheeks start to turn into a dark shade of pink. He must, apparently, feel that it's somewhat inappropriate to stare at someone's breasts, because Peng slowly focusses his attention a little more to the north and locks eyes with me. There's not a single emotion present in his face - he's not hurt, he's not angry. He simply stares with a blank expression on his face, with those brown eyes of his. In response, I raise an eyebrow.

"You're not gay, are you?", I ask, realizing the truth and close my eyes.

"Even though I like a good ass fuck as much as the next guy, nope."

Having the urge to hit myself hard on the head, I desperately hope that the flooring swallows me up. I wait and wait. But it never happens. I open my eyes again, slowly and bite my lip, "Look. I'm really sorry I-".

"It's all right. I'm just your average metrosexual who actually likes to take care of himself and cares about how he looks," he cuts me off, "but it's, um, it's very nice to know that you're wearing a push-up bra. Very... _useful _information". A mischievous smile appears on his face as he quite professionally takes another sip of his drink.

_I should've bitten my tongue. _

_God, I'm such a moron. _

* * *

It's friday, friday, gotta get down on friday. Rebecca Black, anyone? No?

Due to the increase word of "Peng", I figure I might as well explain, if you haven't looked it up. Peng means sexy, hot, good-looking, pretty, handsome, fit, attractive and so forth. I hope to get the two fully acquainted in the next chapter, so I can refer both Peng and Liz to their real names. I keep associating it with Asia and Gilbert Gottfried keeps popping up in my head. I'd like to erase that.

I've digitally counted my words and I realized that my introduction is about 475 words long. Yeah, crazy. I apparently, I like her profession and the bar way too much.

Anyways, who do you think would be Seth's friend?

Let me know what you think of the chapter and if you have any questions, any remarks, maybe any hints or improvement, all is welcome!  
Thank you so very much for reading. See you in the next one!


	5. Chapter three point five

Chapter three point five

* * *

Within minutes, I had managed to excuse myself and get the hell out of there.

" _'Yeah, right, and I'm currently not wearing a push-up bra' _", I mutter, re-calling what had just happened between us, "Who the hell says that?!"

I look up from the amazing marble in the foyer and direct my gaze at the front desk. Both James and Karen are still there, but seem far too preoccupied with each other.

James is the hotel's Front Desk Manager, also known as Hotel Administrator. It basically means you have to have great social communication, have knowledge of several foreign languages, make sure company policies are being followed and when crap hits the fan - he's the guy to rely on.

His ability to smooth-talk a drunk customer, or any customer at that, saved my ass more than I can count on both hands. Along with politeness and pleasing customers, James also needs to make sure the information of guests is fully up to date; from the moment when they check in to when they check out. It brings a great deal of administration along the people skills.

Something miss Walker lacks, we found out. She can't work properly with computer even if it could save her precious little life, so she mainly takes calls and helps customers whenever they have a question. That, she's great at.

I make my way over there, gloating. I prop my body against the desk and place my arm on top of it as I try to -deliberately quite annoyingly so- peek at what they're doing, causing the twins to look up. I don't utter a word, though. Not a single beep. I just look. Intensively. And I feel the irritation in James boil as he stares me right back in the eyes, his eyebrows frowned.

"What?", James asks a little annoyed.

"Oh", I shrug casually, "Nothing. " I look at them innocently and slowly start to walk away from them. After a few yards distance between us, I look once over my shoulder and see how James continuous to look dumbfounded, with Karen just having her usual dumb look present.

"You know, James, he likes a good ass fuck as much as the next guy", I say and I can't help but be highly amused as I leave the two highly confused twins behind.

I've spend the remainder of my shift irritating the shit out of Ramsay, mainly because I didn't quite had the urge to go back to the bar and do the inventory while two pair of eyes would be staring at me and my butt. I figured I'd do it bright and early in the morning. Besides, the food inventory had to be done as well, so I figured I help him out, give him a helping hand so that he would have some spare time tomorrow as well.

_Isn't that convenient?_


	6. Chapter four

Chapter four

* * *

"So, what's up your ass?," James asks as he enters our apartment and places the keychain in its tray, "No. Let me first ask - how in the bloody hell did you get home?"

"I walked"

"You- you walked?!"

I laugh and look up to meet his glance, "I can't believe you fell for that. Ever heard of public transportation?"

"Ha ha", he says sarcastically and sits beside me. He grabs the book from my hands, immediately demands attention and tosses it on the coffee table. He then grabs my left hand with his right.

"Hey, I was reading that!"

He looks at me quite curiously, causing me to raise an eyebrow, "I don't like that look on your face..".

"Second question: What's up your ass?", he asks, ignoring me.

"Should there be something up my ass?"

"Well, first you get angry at Karen and me and strut off as fast as fucking Captain America when he sees Iron Man. When you pop up again, you're acting all batshit crazy", he pauses, "I'd like to know where you are mentally, so I can be prepared in the future".

"There's nothing wrong with my sanity, James", I sigh, "You're well aware that I just don't like Karen. Did you know she was practically offering people a good viewing of her thong this evening?"

"Well, well", he says, patting my hand with his left one, "Aren't we just saying this out of jealousy?"

"No. Why would I -", I cut myself off, "I'm not jealous!"

"She has great boobs, though".

"Are you kidding me? I thought you were supposed to be gay or was that just a simple excuse to not date me?!"

"Oh honey, I am. I'm as gay as dolphin", he says as he gets up and walks over to the kitchen, "But in all honesty, should I be alarmed?"

"No. I'm perfectly fine, it's just.. ", I shake my head as James offers me a glass of red wine, which I gladly take, "Karen has a way of doing the utmost idiotic, unprofessional things behind your back".

"Really?", James asks.

I take a sip from my glass, "Yep. Just thought you should know".

"Duly noted"

He raises his glass, I copy him and we clink our wineglasses together in a toast, smirking.

* * *

A loud ringing reaches my ears and I lift my head up from the fluffy, delightful and oh so inviting pillow. I look around and see that my alarm clock has been going off.

8:30 am.

"So soon already?", I mutter to myself, groaning as I get up. I grab my clothes and make my way to the bathroom. When I come out, a little fifty minutes later, I suddenly stop dead in my tracks as something has caught my eyes. I slowly turn my head to the right. James is sitting in the sofa, sipping coffee in a slow manner, staring at me.

"Is there something wrong?", I ask as I continue my routine by helping myself to a cup of the warm liquid as well.

"I was so focused on your insanity yesterday, that I completely forgot to ask you about one of your remarks"

"Oh?"

I take a sip from the dark, bitter liquid and nearly burn my tongue and esophagus, "God, that's hot. Thanks for giving me a heads-up, by the way".

"Where you said that he likes a good ass fuck, who do you mean?", he asks innocently, sipping, even though his eyes never leave me.

I smirk against my cup. _That sure got his attention. _"I was referring to _'he's a beast'_, you know - the one you'd ride if given the chance. I suppose you just got your chance".

Immediately, James sits straight and places his mug on the coffee table in front of him. "Why are we waiting then? Let's get to work!" He gets up and immediately speeds up his space. He then grabs the car keys and look over his shoulder, "Hurry up, woman!"

I take one last, big swig of the warm liquid, nearly burn my tongue once more and run after James, who has -by now- left me completely alone in the apartment, "Wait up!"

The whole drive towards the hotel had been a complete nightmare, with James speeding as fast as he could. Never ever tell a gay man there's possibly available dick. He'll turn into a mad man.

"Thank you for the most exciting ride of my life", I breathe deeply as I get out of the car. James simply shrugs and removes his sunglasses, "At least you experienced a good ride, I can't as much about your sex life". I shoot him a death glare as I feel, what might be, an upcoming heart attack.

"Hey guys!"

_Oh God, no. It's still too early for this bull._

"Hey Karen..?", James says cocky.

"Yeah?", she asks as she's about to wrap her enormous death claws around my humble, fragile little body.

"Your hunk seems to be a total Chutney Farmer. I think you'll have to settle for his old Wally friend"

She immediately releases me, making me a little more theistic with each time I skip her guillotine, "He's not!"

"Yeah 'eh, he is"

"Nah ah"

"Yeah 'eh!"

"Ah, hell nah!"

"Oh, hell yes!"

"You got proof?!"

James looks at me and bites onto his lip. I lift my shoulders in response, trying to come off as if I couldn't care at all, while - deep inside - I was highly entertained by the oh so close twins now fighting each other over a freakin' Ken doll, "He said to me that he liked a good ass fuck, that's all".

"Plenty of heterosexual men like that", she scoffs.

"I'm pretty sure they don't, " he frowns before smiling devious, "Trust me, I found out the hard way".

The back and forth banter stops when we make our way into the lobby via the back entrance. In fact, it stops as soon as their gaze falls upon a very unique creature standing before the front desk: Mr. Peng.

Karen immediately gushes, lightly gasping for air as she tries to steady herself by holding onto James. I smirk, secretly hoping she'd misgrabbed and fallen onto the floor, but I realize - these things take time. I have to be patient.

Seeing as she has James currently immobilized, I approach our gentleman.

"What can I do for you, Sir?", I ask as politely as I can as a small blush appear on my cheeks, reminiscing last night and still feeling the embarrassment.

"Hi", he greets me and approaches the desk, "I was wondering if you happen to know any good sightings here in the London?"

"For sightseeing, I presume?", I try to sound as evangelical as I can.

"Yes", he nods and smiles, showing his pearly whites as his eyes crinkle while doing so.

"Well", I start, but I'm cut off by James, who approaches our customer and places a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.

"You definitely need to take a look inside Buckingham Palace, which is currently open for visitors. I'd also highly recommend the British Museum and Madame Tussauds."

All of the sudden, Karen pops up at our customer's left side, demanding his attention by her hand on his shoulder as well, "And let's not forget the Big Ben and Princess of Diana's memorial. Very much worthy of a glimpse". She looks at him, glances him over and bites onto her lower lip as she closes the distance between herself and him, all the way until she's practically pressing herself against Mr. Peng. She then grabs a hold of his arm, clinging onto him and getting quite the jealous stare from her male twin.

"I, em, I…", our customer begins, stuttering, but fails at making a full sentence without getting distracted. Who would, with such a big pair of breasts hovering in front of your eyesight?

"I'm not interested", he says politely, but none of the two are having any of it and he remains imprisoned.

I step from behind the desk and grab Mr. Peng by the shoulder, pushing James away. I take our customer with me and release him from Karen's claws - and James' in the process, of course. I motion him towards his friend, who's standing nearby the entrance with a huge grin plastered upon his face, quite enjoying the display before him.

"As I was saying before those two schoolgirls interrupted me, it depends on what you want to see", I let go of our man, "There are different sights for different kinds of people"

"Is there something tranquil and quiescent nearby, something low-key?"

"If you're looking for something quiet and calm, I suppose you're better off with one of London's great parks - such as Hampstead Heath or Kew Gardens"

He lightly nods and smirks, "Thank you".

"My pleasure, even though it's our job and we're getting paid to share this information", I say, smirking back.

He laughs, showing off his pearly whites as his friend approaches us. "Done firing up those young students' private parts, Seth?"

"Yeah, I… ", he stops himself, shaking his head lightly and licking his lips, "Let's go".

"By the way," James suddenly shouts from behind towards his beast, "You have a great dish".

A single eyebrow is raised and Seth looks at me. A small smile is transparent on my face. "9 out of 10 times I have no idea what they're saying. I just roll with it by smiling. It usually works for me," I pause for a brief moment and smile again, "I hope you have a wonderful day, though."

Seth chuckles in response. "We sure will, if we're ever going to leave", his male companion says, getting a little bored.

"Yes, sorry", Seth replies and the two leave, but not before Seth gives me a small nod, whereas I attempt to give one awkwardly back.

_Maybe, just maybe - I'm starting to like this guy._

I then turn myself towards the twins, who are watching -and most likely oggling and undressing- our customer leave.

"He's so buff", Karen barely manages to say, daydreaming already.

"What the hell, you guys?"

* * *

First of I'd like to thank Nicole on Tumblr (oh-my-Seth-MacFarlane) for helping me with Seth's personality. We've spend hours discussing his characteristics and you know, I think she really got him down. So, I come to her, crying and bawling my eyes out just to get a little help. I'm peeing my pants whenever I have to write him.

More background information is now available and Liz finally knows his name! I can finally stop writing Peng, YES.

Also -  
Chutney Farmer: A male homosexual  
(old) Wally: Old Never-Married (rumored to be gay) Male  
Dish: Buttocks

I hope this hints away who his mysterious friend is. Any guesses? It should be obvious, no?

I had too much fun writing this lil' chapter. I'm not sure how far I'll take the competition between the three, though.

Would you want to see more of it or should I keep it on a low flame? Let me know!  
Also, are you liking the conversations between Liz and James or should I tone that down a tad as well? Once more, let me know!

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much and it really makes my day. See ya'll in the next one!

ps. I had to throw in the little Avengers fluff. It's just too adorable.


	7. Chapter five

Chapter five

* * *

"Out of the two options she gave you, you picked the one that sounds the most retarded," he scoffs, "Kew Gardens, really?"

"It says here it's actually a Royal botanic garden", Seth says as he flips through the pamphlet, closely inspecting it.

"Do I look like I care about gardens, even if they're royal and botanic?"

Seth looks up, meeting the gaze of his friend and gives him a brief glance over. He looks completely bored, hand propped up against his head, with the right side of his body resting against a big tree. He doesn't even pretend to be interested.

"No", he sighs as he folds the pamphlet and puts it in the inside pocket of his blazer.

"Look, I'm sorry for not showing interest in your shitty garden, but why the hell did you pick this?", he pushes himself away from the tree and walks over to his friend, "You know I would've settled for anything but this, even the freakin' creepy Diana Museum, and I'm pretty sure you don't give a fuck about pretty, rare flowers either".

Seth bites onto his lower lip, pondering as he looks away from his friend's piercing stare.

"No, I don't", he softly whispers.

"Excuse me?", his friend asks, mocking, "I couldn't quite catch that."

He clears his throat and says, this time a little louder, as he looks at the ground, "No, I don't".

"Great. Let's get the fuck out of here then", his friend says as he grabs Seth by the arm and takes him with him, towards the exit.

"What if she asks us about the garden?"

"We'll say it's lovely and that it fucking touched us", the older man lets go off his arm and notices that Seth shoots him a look. He smirks back, "Don't worry. Women adore that emotional crap. Gets them wetter than the Thames."

Seth tries to remain stone-faced, but fails horribly. Soon, a small laughter takes control of him, making his eyes crinkle slightly.

"That blonde seems to really like you", he offers Seth a cigarette, places one in his own mouth and lights it up, "And not just the blonde."

"Hmm", Seth responds as his friend lights his cigarette as well. Quite expertly, he takes a drag and inhales deeply, drawing the smoke into his lungs.

"For God sake, Seth," the older man laughs, astonished at his friend's highly unenthusiastic response as he takes a puff, "She's smoking hot. Petite frame, a lovely pair of tits, voluptuous ass, long, curly blonde hair, big brown eyes. What more can you bargain for?".

"You can have her", he says flat, exhaling the smoke. There's a brief silence between the two men, causing Seth to look at his friend, questioning. The older man simply gives him a raised eyebrow in return.

"It's too easy, Bill. I admit, she's beautiful, but she's been wanting to get into my pants ever since we got here -"

"And what the fuck is wrong with that?", Bill cuts him off, raising his tone of voice and hands in defense, not quite understanding.

Seth cocks his head lightly, frowns slightly and takes a puff, "It's fun for a week, two at most. There's a reason as to why they name some women Barbies; the exterior is great, oppose to the interior, which is often… shallow".

"At least you'll have a great time for two weeks, " he laughs, mocking him once more, "Who gives a fuck about interior?"

Seth frowns deeper this time as he takes another drag from his cigarette, not daring to look Bill in the eyes. Bill looks at his friend, perplexed, but then scoffs lightly as he shakes his head, "Of course. You know there's no fucking fairytale where all couples live happily ever after, right?"

"I know", he exhales, "Though, a false attempt at it would be nice"

"You'll be pretending to be happy-"

"I know", he says, this time a little more strict, noticing he's getting a little pissed off at his friend's ignorance and tries to contain himself, "I'm also very much aware that only one out of three marriages manage to succeed in having a future together, whereas the other two end up divorcing. I know this, Bill."

"Okay, okay", Bills says, hands up in the air again as he picks up on the rising anger within Seth, "I'm just warning you".

* * *

I had to switch perspectives for a bit, just to have a little alternation.

Yes, the big friend is Bill - of course, who else? The man is practically a God in Seth's eyes, I'm sure. However, I'm not sure how Bill is, romantically. I kinda have him sketched out as someone who has relations purely for the fun (sex) and someone who doesn't fully understand nor can fully grasp the concept of ''relationship" or "romance". I hope (and think) I'm wrong.

Sorry for the loads of swearing. But can one really say "Fuck" with a different word (in the same language)?

See you all in the next one!


	8. Chapter six

Chapter six

* * *

"Hey Keil", I say as I enter the main bar, smiling quite happily. Even though I have just been released from a two hour long meeting and I feel fatigued, experiencing most likely how a head full of Wrackspurts must feel.

"Hello madam", he replies as he smiles back at me.

I make my way behind the counter, intending on doing inventory.

"Is there anything we definitely need to get more of?", I ask just to be sure as I check how much liquor has been spend since the beginning of this week.

"Hmm", he says, pondering as he looks behind him where varies liquor is kept, "Bacardi rum…Gentleman Jack… Laphroaig, 10 years,…Laurent-Perrer champagne…Pinot Grigio and.. Chateau La Coste"

"All right. Thank you very much", I say as I get up while grabbing two bottles of red wine and give these to Keil, "Please make sure these get to the wine basement in one piece. They're Chateau Lafite Rothschild's".

Keil swallows hard, giving the wine in each hand a brief look and looks up with slightly widened eyes, "Madam?"

I smile and pat him on the back, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. You haven't had an accident in weeks".

He nods and smiles nervously back at me. Keil then starts to make his way to the foyer. I let out a deep sigh of relief, closing my eyes as I just realize I had been holding it for a few seconds.

_I hope this goes well._

All of the sudden, I hear a load thud and hard glass shattering in little pieces as it hits a particular oak flooring. Its ring is deafening. I bite onto my lower lip before slowly opening my eyes.

_Oh, shit. There goes at least 1000 pounds. _

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry", Keil says, repeating himself.

I look down and see how our oak-colored flooring suddenly start to become a dark crimson, seeping out of what seems to be the crime scene, with bits of glass within a six yard radius. Slowly, I look up to where Keil and his hit-and-run are standing, which is in the middle of the pool of blood and shattered glass.

I grab a bottle of Chardonnay, undo its cap and I can't help but smirk as I make my way over to the gentlemen, "It just isn't your lucky day today, is it?"

"Not particularly", he mutters back to me and looks up from the gigantic red stain on his shirt, meeting my gaze with those deep brown eyes of his.

"Yeah", I pause, shrugging casually as I look away, "It's about to get a lot worse"

He questions me, raising his eyebrow a little whereas I simply start to grin quite mischievously. I unexpectedly, but quite softly, grab the hem of his shirt and spill the Chardonnay on Seth.

For a brief moment, I feel as victorious as Michael Schumacher.

"What the hell?!", Seth suddenly protests, taken aback by my actions as he tries to escape my clutches by grabbing a hold of my hands.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing", I say gentle, hoping to soothe him.

The eyebrow arches further upwards and I look up from my masterpiece when he finally manages to quite gently grab a hold of me, "Just trust me, will you?". He shoots me a suspicious look as he removes my hands from the proximity of his body.

"I take that as a no", I place a hand onto my hips and frown, "All right. Fine. Come with me. Keil, clean up this mess and ask if Charlie can come in."

Keil nods and immediately takes off. Before Seth can even do such a thing as protest again, I grab his arm and drag him along towards my office.

"If you don't do something about it fast, it will dry. It's even more difficult to get the stain out then", I say as I shut the door after practically tossing him in. I flick the lights on.

He turns around to look at me and slightly lifts his arms up, gesturing, "So, what now?"

"You get naked"

A deep frown appears, with confusion clearly present on his face as he closes his eyes for a second or two, asking himself if he heard it correctly, "What?"

"Let me rephrase that: you get shirtless," I make my way over to my desk and start removing items from it, " With that I mean you'll have to remove your shirt. The white wine has to be soaked in for a couple of hours before we can put it in the machine".

"I'm..I'm not going to remove my shirt", he objects.

"Fine. You can lie still on my desk for several hours. That's okay by me", I turn around to look him directly in the eye, with a insolent, smug smirk plastered upon my face.

"You're enjoying this"

"I wasn't, but I'm sure as hell now", I bite as he makes no attempt of removing his shirt whatsoever. I approach him, "Never knew some bigshots could be so diffident".

"I don't lack self-confidence", he shoots back, eyes following me.

I lightly cock my head, a simpering smile visible, "So you wouldn't mind if I did this, right?".

I stand behind him and suddenly pull on his blazer, making it come off as my hands trail the chino cloth downwards, feeling his biceps and skin twitch underneath my touch. I can hear him gasp ever so softly. It's barely hearable. He draws in air quite sharply due to the sudden feel of warmth on his skin.

"N-not at all", he says, licking his lips, which is followed by biting onto his lip.

"Good", I whisper, my cheeks turning a soft pink, "Then you wouldn't mind this _at all_".

My fingers touch the hem of his shirt lightly, teasing Seth before clasping the fabric. Slowly, but surely, I start to lift it up, revealing more and more bare skin with each passing second as I'm sure my warm breath tickles the delicate and exposed skin in his neck, causing him to lightly shudder in response.

_Did I just hear a faint groan?_

It doesn't take long before I can fully remove the piece of clothing from his body. I immediately take it to my desk and quite generously start to pour the Chardonnay onto it.

"We should let this settle for a couple of hours", I say with my back directed at the gentleman.

"Will this get rid of the stain?"

"White wine neutralizes red wine," I reply, still busy attacking the shirt with the white liquid, "It should".

It's silent for a short while, "Thank you".

"No problem. I guess you're not that diffident after all", I say before turning around. Immediately, I grab a hold of my desk to stop me from falling over, placing my tush on top of its surface as I fully observe the shirtlessness of our customer. A coy grin appears as I take in this rare occurrence, quickly ogling him.

Broad shoulders, broad chest hair, fairly hairless, moderately thin and biceps matching his fitness. And boy, he's rather fit.

_Look away. _

_Don't look. _

_Don't look! _

_Don't look directly at it, at least._

I feel my cheeks heating up as I look away, lightly pouting, wondering what to do next as I feel utter shame and embarrassment hovering above my head. His stare pierces me, demanding my attention. I can feel it.

_He's either curious or he's going to rub it in my face. _

_Don't look._

"I need to get back to work", I get up from the desk, pick up the blazer from the floor and hand it over to Seth.

_What a lame excuse._

"Yeah", he mutters, clearing his throat as he takes his blazer and puts it on. I can't help but feel a certain interest in buttons rise within me as I stare at how he's making sure to button up, hiding his bare skin. As I'm about to open the door and walk out, I abruptly turn around and nearly bump into Seth.

"Whoa. Wouldn't want another accident today", I say, immediately raising my hands high up in the air so that I won't inappropriately grope him anywhere. His eyes shift from left to right, right to left for a few times before he politely smiles back.

_I should give him a few pointers on how to fake the perfect smile._

"Anyways", I say, feeling how the heat slowly fades away. I smile in return, extending my hand, "My name is Elizabeth Clark".

He lightly cocks his head as he copies me, shaking my hand, "Seth MacFarlane".

"Nice to meet you, Mr. MacFarlane".

"Like wise, Miss Clark"

Each of us then silently head towards our own destinies, whereas I can't help but feel like a creep.

_The poor guy._

* * *

You know that moment when you're just quietly reading and all of the sudden, you can just FEEL someone staring at you? Yeah.

Keil has been the sole purpose of being clumsy. Hence the name Keil, which is a German name and not British. I thought it was kinda cool.

And I'm sorry for not closely and widely describing how Seth looks shirtless. I'd love to, really.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read and/or reviewing. Means a lot!


	9. Chapter seven

Chapter seven

* * *

"Did you just see our beast?"

A questionable look appears on my face as I look up, investigating where the question originates from and soon, I look James directly in the eyes. His beautiful baby-blue eyes. I casually let my lower body hang against the front desk and place my elbow, along with my arm, on top of its surface, my fingers lightly tapping it.

I had just approached the desk, but James and Karen seem quite eager. They've seen something what they liked, all right. They've seen _him_, bare chest with a simple blazer hugging his muscles, trying to mask his nakedness. Oh, and how he must've _failed_, judging by their gleeful faces.

Is it sad that I immediately know of whom they're speaking off?

"Why?", I try to remain casually and very much innocent. It's so innocent,_ so_overdone, that it must've send loud alarm bells ringing in James' and Karen's heads as they first look at each other, eyebrows raise in unison, before they look at me quite suspiciously.

"Where did you just come from?", James asks, his eyes narrowing.

"My office", I respond dryly and as casual as ever as I look around, moments before looking rather intensely at my fingernails.

"You came from the same direction as our GQ. You didn't happen to bump into him, did you?", Karen interrogates.

"Nah", I say and look them in the eyes, shifting from one twin to the other, smirking playful, "We did a lot more than that"

A silence follows as the twins simply stare at me, eyes widened as they appear to be in shock. I swear you could've attacked them with an umbrella and they still would not have moved an inch. Even though I'm sure umbrella's aren't that lethal, so why bother anyways?

"You're taking the mickey, right…?"

I shake my head, "Nope".

"Then, what did you do?", the male counterpart asks, his tone of voice a little more high-pitched than usual, clearly in suspense, desperate to find out what happened.

"Let's just say that I can confirm he's indeed very fit. Very," I say coolly, licking my lips in the meantime as I look away, "_Very _fit".

"You didn't!", Karen utters.

James gasp for air as he covers his mouth with both hands, "Shut up. You wouldn't!".

"No, I wouldn't", I eventually give in after a brief moment of utter silence, with two pairs of eyes practically stabbing my brain to find out what exactly has occured between the two of us. I shake my head once more before I burst out of laughter, "But your reactions were priceless. I wish I could've taken a picture".

Karen rolls her eyes at me as she mumbles under her breath, _"Bitch"._

"What happened?", James asks as he leans onto the desk, leaning in towards me.

"I asked Keil to bring two bottles of red wine down to the basement", I pause to shrug lightly, "I've learned that an accident lies in a very small corner".

"Even if we're speaking of Keil, how the hell do you manage to get bottled red wine on a customer's shirt?", he asks, snickering.

"I figure one of the bottle caps wasn't securely tightened."

"I just can't believe you don't find him eye-candy, I just can't," Karen protests as she buds in, hands up in the air, "He's a bloody FILF!"

"So far, in my book, he's a himbo. And one that's only interested in himself and how pretty he looks. He knows exactly what kind of effect his looks will have on a person and he'll most likely use that to his advantage. Plus, he must really get a head-rush out of all these people giving him attention, just because of his looks", I look away, head slightly tilted, "Wonder how much pussy he gets on a day to day basis, though."

She frowns, "I haven't seen anyone accompanying him to his room in these past few days, well, besides his friend and I'm _so_going to prove you wrong".

"Told you he's gay," James silently, but smugly chips in and all of the sudden, his eyes grow wide and the most mischievous smirk I've ever seen appears on his face, "Ladies, I have a brilliant plan."

"Oh God, no, James. Your plans are always -"

"Oh, shush", he interrupts me by raising his index finger to shut me up and leans in a bit further, gesturing us to do the same. Karen immediately follows him, like the brave, suck-up puppy that she is, but I'm having second doubts. This is not going to end flawlessly. It's not going to end pretty, I'm sure of it. Hesitantly, as James impatiently look as me, I cave him and lean in as well.

"Let's settle this for once and for all. Together, we'll find out what makes this bloke tick and tok. How about we test him out a bit?"

"What do you have in mind?", Karen asks, her voice awfully deep as a devious look is plastered upon her face.

"I don't think I like where this is going, guys..", I protest nervously, backing out of the plan already.

"You need to toss your so-called professionalism out of the freakin' window", James looks up at me, eyes glistening with a pinch of anger, "You need to lighten up and have some form of relaxation. This will be just the thing that you need. It's fun. It's a game. It's competition. A little competition has never hurt anybody, right?"

I raise an eyebrow at him as I cock my head, "That's what they said back in the Western Times as well. Remind me, what was their form of competition again?"

"Touche, but you know what I mean"

I roll my eyes, "So, boss, how do you want us to test him out?"

"Each of us goes their own way to impress him, to make him like us, heck, no - to make him _adore _us, to make him want to snog us, to make him want to shag us _senseless_", a small, boyish smirk appears on his face.

"I think we got it, James," I pause, frowning, "You know, if he does turn out to be a straight man, you do realize you'll be the first one to go?"

"Oh yes. I'm aware of that, but that doesn't mean there's one less person to compete with. I will constantly be in your way."

"Charming. Whatever the outcome may be, what will happen if one of us finds out?"

"You claim the prize, of course. Make it McDreamy's most unforgettable experience and the rest of us will back off".

"Any rules?"

"No", he pouts lightly, a slight grin appearing, "Everything is permitted. You can dress as slutty as you want, you can throw yourselves at him, you can make sexual innuendo's. Heck, you can put his face between your breasts or legs, I don't care. Just be crazy, but most importantly: be creative."

"So, when we do start?", Karen asks.

I nearly forgot she was there.

"At the beginning of tomorrow's shift", he nods as he places his hand in the middle, urging us to place ours above his, "Let's do this!"

His female twin places her hand above his, "I love your diabolical scheme". Whereas I simply look at it, pointing as I back out, "Oh, hell no. I didn't sign up for this. I'm not going to do that. No! What are we? Silly little teenagers?".

"Oh, come on, Elizabeth!"

"No", I say, this time more strict.

"Come on ~", he nudges playful.

I sigh and reluctantly place my hand on top of theirs, above Karen's, and I shudder, closing my eyes.

Why am I doing this?

Why am I doing this?

"May God reward thee who finds the truth", James says, slowly removing his hand from below, "Good luck, ladies"

"I need to prepare!", Karen eagerly says as she storms off. I roll my eyes at her and quietly walk away. This is.. going to be fun. And awkward. Pretty much awkward.

James folds his arms on the desk as he watches how each of us walks into a different direction.

"I love me a good ol' fashioned cat fight."

* * *

_Your stare was holdin'. Ripped jeans, skin was showin'. Hot night, wind was blowin'. Where you think you're going, baby? _Anyone? No? Hate me already? I can't help but think of this as I was thinking about muscles.. hugging... blazer... skin... Seth.. what?

Is it called "Western Times"? I'm not sure, but you know, in the good old days of cowboys and westerns. Ah. Memories. I want a time-machine. Where's the doc when you need him?

I do apologize for any British readers. I have this need to pop some slang words in here and there, so I hope you're not offended by any means. Speaking of slang -  
GQ: a man that is dressed well, attractive and well off  
FILF: Father I Would Like to Fuck, i.e. an attractive older man  
Himbo: Male version of ''Bimbo''

Next chapter will be quite surprising, yet if you read between the lines here, you might figure it out. Next chapter will also include why Elizabeth is so bipolar concerning Seth.

Also - I wanted to ask, any particular tests/ actions you would like to see our ladies do to Seth? Let me know!


	10. Chapter eight

Chapter eight

* * *

His cheeks turned a light shade of amaranth as he hastily made his way out of the office, his footsteps quickening as he sped up his pace. He desperately tries to contain the damage, tries to get it done as soon as possible, so no one will notice. No one _may_notice. Turning a sharp left, he stops abruptly to stare directly into the leering and longing eyes of two very helpful, very endearing staff members. Two very endearing staff members who obviously have been wanting to get into his pants since the moment he set foot in this place.

The female one rests her head on her hand, elbow propped up on the desk and slowly waves at him. He sighs lightly, looking down to see if he has completely covered himself and finds out that they can see more of his bare, shirtless chest than he actually likes.

_"Oh God, no", _he thinks and immediately straightens his blazer, clutching it tightly with his deft fingers as he's pulling it so that it neatly covers the essential and precious skin of his body. The blush on his smooth cheeks slowly starts to turn into crimson as he turns his head to the right, looking away with eyes lightly widened in minor shock. He then continues his mission and doesn't stop for anything that may or may not cross his path.

Within a solid fifteen minutes, he has managed to quickly put on a grey t-shirt with the blazer on top as the finishing touch. He has also made his way back to the bar, where his friend must've already been_ (im)_patiently waiting for him.

"Bill", Seth kindly greets his friend as he approaches him, placing his hand on his arm for a brief moment.

"Where the fuck have you been?", he says as he turns round to face Seth, not even the slightest bit amused.

"Well, I… um..", he begins, stumbling over his words as he is startled at his friend's response. He frowns and clears his throat, "There was a small accident." He follows this by briefly explaining what has happened, not mentioning -of course- what has occurred in Clark's office. Never would he speak of it, not even to Bill. Especially not to Bill. _Never._

Bill seems perplexed, but it's of short endurance because within seconds, he bursts out of laughter and gestures Seth to take a seat beside him, which he does. Bill gasps for air, still laughing uncontrolably as Seth orders his drink and bites onto his lip. Slowly but surely, Seth lifts his head up and looks at his friend. Bill's laughter start to slowly fade away as he notices that his companion doesn't vocally respond, at all. He gives him a glance over, an eyebrow raised, "Everything all right?".

"Yeah", Seth replies short, lightly shifting in his chair as he looks away.

"Okay", he says, not really buying into it, but figures it's better to not tease his little protege as something seems to be on his mind, pre-occupying him. Surely, spillage of red wine on his clothes couldn't have this effect on him. He knew him better than that.

All of the sudden, Seth feels a warm yet soft hand touch his shoulder. It remains there, resting and it takes a hold of his attention. Taking a sip from his whiskey, he looks over his shoulder from the corner of his eyes to see who placed his hand there. _"Oh crap", _he thinks, mentally letting out a groan. It's one of the staff members, ironically, one who had seen him pass by earlier, semi-shirtless.

"May I speak with you?", he asks, the tone of his voice deep and serious, but polite.

"Sure", Seth responds and remains seated, urging the worker to speak to him in the current setting, which is public, open, safe and not really suited for any personal discussions. He's having none of it.

"I'd rather speak to you in private," Seth looks at Bill, eyebrows frown at each other as he cocks his head lightly, confused, "Just you. Alone". This time, the employee gestures Seth to follow him. He feels rather uncomfortable as this particular staff member had been flirting with him earlier this day. Something about his ass. But, as brave as he is, he stands up, grabs his drink and takes a deep chug. The warm liquid fully hits his throat, the burning sensation bubbling, causing him to lightly cough. He keeps a close eye on the male worker, monitoring him. He has stopped dead in his tracks and turns around, waiting for Seth. Seth swallows hard, a worrisome look on his face, but he decides to take the leap of faith and follows the employee to a silver Art Deco door. He holds the door open for Seth, so that he can enter the secluded room first.

Upon entry, he's immediately slapped hard in the face by several things as his senses turn wild, causing him to take a good look around first. He has entered a somewhat small room, but the ambiance bathes in beauty and glamour. The room itself is opulent and sinfully dark. There are vintage photographs hung upon the mocha-colored paneled wall, accompanied by etched glass panels and photographs of none other than Marlene Dietrich and Coco Chanel. The tufted banquettes are upholstered in an aubergine velvet. The lighting is low, created by Lalique crystal panels and uplighters. A marble bar in the form of a horseshoe is placed in the middle of the room. Its space is fairly limited, with room for about 12 people, maximum. Overall, it's a very luxurious, sensual, romantic yet very mysterious place. It's dark, it's sensuous, it's intimate and divine, with its decoration in thirties-themed tones. And he's completely in love with it.

"Woah", Seth breathes, the scent of white roses reaching his nostrils. He's completely taken aback by the beauty of the room, as it performs a daring, teasingly but welcoming play with his senses.

"It's quite an unique design from Basil Ionides, Scottisch finest designer and architect. She did a marvelous job", the male staff member remarks as he enters the room as well, closing the door behind them.

Seth immediately snaps back to reality and directs himself towards the worker, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Let's take a seat first, Sir", he replies, gesturing Seth to take a seat. The two men take a seat at one of the banquettes, sitting across from each other, face to face.

"My name is James Davies. I'm the hotel's administrator", the employee says as he stretches his hand out for Seth to shake it and he complies out of politeness.

"Seth MacFarlane", he softly breathes, still a little mesmerized by the astonishing room.

James smiles briefly before going back to business, "I hope you're not feeling uncomfortable because of my earlier advances".

"No, of course not", he lies, smiling back.

"Good, because I really was only teasing. Some harmless little fun, you know?", he pauses for the dramatical effect. Seth looks at him with a heavily confused look upon his face, " I need to talk to you about something far more serious."

"It's true that I was trying to win you over," he pauses once more to look Seth directly in the eyes, smiling warmly after connecting their gazes, "But I figured out pretty soon you weren't really playing for my team". Seth modestly cocks his head, curiosity present.

"I saw you checking out some lovely women, including our receptionist", he says, a smug grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Seth chuckles in response, showing his pearly whites as an obvious, yet minor blush appears on his cheeks, "I'm sorry about that".

"Don't be. It made a lot of things clear"

A silence slowly hangs over the two young males, lingering between them. It is Seth who finally decides to break it. "If you figured out I wasn't gay, then why are you still trying to hit on me?", he pauses, "No offense".

"None taken", James says, raising his hand to gesture it's all right and the grin suddenly becomes bigger, smirking mischievous now, "I may have done it to provoke someone else as well".

"What do you mean?", he frowns.

"Well, just a little while earlier today, the two ladies at the front desk and I made a bet"

"Ah", Seth says, not really liking where this is going.

"The bet is a small form of competition. To, um, figure out your sexuality."

"Ah", he once more says, his tongue scraping his palate as he casually sits back.

"Now, hear me out. I'm not doing this for you. You obviously don't need any help from me. I'm doing it for them - at least for one of them."

"Which one would that be?", Seth asks, intrigued as he sees the two ladies vividly in front of him, as if they were really there. On the left, a blonde with long flowing yet curly hair stands. Brown eyes stare back. She has a petite yet curvaceous frame, and must be around 5'4'', at most. She has had obvious plastic surgery, judging by the rest of her frame as she's sporting a full E-cup. It's too perfect to be realistic. He doesn't know her name, other woman on the right, he knows her. Elizabeth Clark. She's practically the opposite of the first female. Elizabeth is long with a slender figure, about 5'7''. Her brown hair reaches her shoulders, whereas she has hazel eyes. Her figure doesn't really scream out that she's a woman, she doesn't put herself out there. Not a single curve is shown, in fact, she seems to hide her femininity, whereas lady number one puts it on full display.

Maybe a C-cup?

"I can't tell you. But I can tell you that, even though she won't admit it, you affect her. However that might be. This is just a wild guess on my side and I can be completely wrong here, but I think she might have feelings for you, but knowing her, she won't act on it. And even if I'm wrong, the bet should still force her out of the comfort of her routine and let her have some fun, something she hasn't let herself experience in a while," he looks away, face directed at the ground before locking eyes again, "If she participates, which I doubt".

"Let me guess, you want me to help you on your little quest to let her blow off some steam and relax?," James nods sincerely, "Sounds legit".

James immediately picks up on the mockery as he tries to contain his anger, "Look, I didn't ask you to behave like a douche, I just -"

"Why are you so keen on helping her?", Seth holds his hand up in the air, interrupting.

"I, um..", he looks at the ground, finding that particular crack in the wood very interesting. He lets out a deep sigh, closing his eyes, "Guilt"

"Guilt?", Seth asks for further explanation, a little surprised as an eyebrow is automatically raised.

"Yes", he says, opening his eyes and staring into the brown pools, "About two years or so ago, she came to Claridge's, looking for work. We hit it off immediately, but back in the day, I was still very narrow-minded and tried to believe I was something that I wasn't. I was conflicted, ignoring my true self, where I might've let her on to believe I was genuinely interested in her, on a sexual level. We dated for a little while and we both found out I was a homosexual when I was sucking another guy's face in front of hers. She was devastated for weeks, heart broken. Wouldn't talk to me at all."

James sighs, "I just…. think she's a little, perhaps too much, careful when it comes to men that take good care of themselves, shielding herself from more of the same heartbreak".

"She's terrified of what might happen, you mean?"

"Yes. She's more quiet and reserved ever since. She just needs to let go and have a great time, break through the stone barrier she build up over the years, you know?"

"Why would I help you? Convince me", he playfully pokes the employee, a little devious twinkle present in his eyes as he folds his hands and places them on the table.

"I won't be participating and two women are fighting over you, surely that can't sound wrong. Besides, I know at least one is willing to do whatever it takes to wield her prize-"

"Millions of women fight over me all the time. Why should these be more special than the rest?"

"It should prove to be interesting. There aren't any rules; they can do whatever they want and please. And both are quite a catch, for different reasons. Get out of your day-to-day routine with a little fun, break through the slumbering activities of everyday. This is your vacation, right? When was the last time you had some fun?"

He cocks his head, sits back and crosses his arms before his chest, "I'm not fully convinced yet".

James seems baffled, not sure what to say now, being speechless for the first time of his life. "I'm kidding", he chuckles at the given response and the wrinkles around his eyes magically appear, "Even though you can't decide when I'm having fun or not, I can tell you really care about your friend and that you feel bad about what happened in the past. It might turn out to be interesting, to see what these girls come up with and to see what makes them tick. I might enjoy myself. You know what? I'll help you".

"You just took the piss out of me, didn't you?", James asks, hinting at the last part of their conversation.

"Oh, yeah", the smirk appears again and he gets up, "Was this all you wanted to talk about?"

James gets up as well and opens the door, holding it so that Seth can get out, "Yes. You'll have to figure out who's sincere and who's not, what their personalities are and whatnot, though".

"That's what makes it interesting", he says as he exits the room and immediately spots his adoring miss. Clark behind the bar, sporting a lovely vest as part of her uniform, "Definitely not female".

* * *

And the plot thickens!

Sorry for not uploading any sooner. College has started again and I'm currently feeling a bit ill. But, all is well as there's another chapter and it's going places! WHOO, WHOO!

Thank you all for reading and/or reviewing. You're all so kind!


	11. Chapter nine

Chapter nine

* * *

She reaches for the card reader and slides the card key in. It takes the machine a little while to read the card, before a small beep is heard and the door has been unlocked. Within seconds, she is pushed up against the door as a man places his body behind hers, an arm stretched out and a hand is placed against the door, resting against it, just inches away from her face. His left hand is placed on her waist and slowly starts to disappear underneath the back of her shirt. He kisses her softy in her neck, on that delicate and sensitive spot, sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

Her hand manages to reach the door handle and opens the door, causing the man to fall against her, bodies fully against each other for a second or so. Using the sudden loss of balance, she sprints inside. He chuckles in response and follows, kicking the door to close it.

It doesn't take long for him to catch up with her. He grabs her by the arm and swings her around so that she's facing him. A mischievous grin is plastered upon his face as he throws her backwards, onto the couch behind her. He climbs onto the sofa himself, his body hovering above hers as her hands immediately start to caress his face.

"I hate these fucking curtains", he mutters as his gaze is directly at her promising lips. She smirks back at him and leans in, removing the distance that's between their lips and lightly brushes her lips against his, teasing him.

"Don't book the room then", she says as she places gentle kisses on the line of his jaw, going up towards his ear and starts to nibble onto his earlobe.

"Tease", he groans as he lies down on her, his face hovering mere inches above hers. Bodies are now once more making full contact, with their clothes providing for the tedious friction. He looks her in the eyes and notices that her eyes are darkened with desire. His gaze travels south. He licks his lips as he stares at hers, the proximity leisurely decreasing. Their lips finally touch and he draws her into a passionate kiss, closing his eyes. He places one of his hands at the back of her head, pushing her closer to deepen to kiss. His tongue lightly touches her lips, asking for permission to enter her mouth. Most willingly, she grants him access by opening her mouth, causing their tongues to engage in a fiery duel. His free hand ends up near the button of her jeans. Quite expertly, he unbuttons it with only two fingers in a matter of seconds.

"You've done that before", she whispers seductively into his ear, seizing the fire to catch her breath. He bends his head and locks gazes with her, a devious smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She smirks back at him before tightly wrapping her legs around his waist, burrying his sex deeper against hers. A small moan escapes his lungs as he feels how his jeans start to tighten. She wraps her arms around his neck and places a kiss on his lips.

All of the sudden, he gets up and takes her with him towards the bedroom, her legs and arms still wrapped around his body. He lies down onto the bed and starts to kiss at the nape of her neck again, sucking, nibbling and gently biting at the sensitive spot. Her fingers slide into his dark hair, tangling them in the precious locks. His ministrations are the cause of a series of low, sustainable cries.

"Babe," he says, stopping his aid as he pulls back, "I'm not going to last long if you keep it up like that"

"I don't care", she says through gritted teeth, biting on her lower lip as she places her hands onto his chest. Her hands travel downwards as they scrape his skin through the stripped, grey blouse. They stop dead in their tracks when they reach his pants. A single finger touches him through the denim, going up and down. Soon, more and more fingers follow until her hand slides inside his jeans. Through his boxers, she quite hungrily grabs his member and starts to stroke him in a slow pace, teasing him. "Oh, God," he whispers at the sudden touch as he feels the warmth of her skin seeping through the fabric to connect with his, causing him to throw his head back and close his eyes at the delightful touch. His breathing becomes shallow and uneven. In the mood to desperately get her back for the teasing, he hastily starts to unbutton her blouse and tries to get as much of the cotton away from his sight, revealing a black lace bra and a flat, lightly toned stomach. His jeans are becoming awfully tight now and it's then that he realizes that she has stopped her motions. He leans in and plants soft kisses on her collarbone. His mouth travels southwards, planting more and more kisses as he does so until he reaches her sternum. He aberrants from the trail and starts to plant kisses on her left breast through the lace as his hands start to work on the clasp of her bra. He manages to unclasp the damn thing in records time. Slowly but surely, he starts to undo her bra. Bits of skin are appearing as the bra is being removed.

Almost, almost...

All of the sudden, Seth sits straight up in his bed, panting heavily. It takes him a while to regain his breath. But when he does, he looks around and takes his surrounding in. He's in the same room as his dream, but there's no one else with him. He sighs as he looks down, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he opens his eyes, he is greeted by a very extant bulge transparenting through the sheets of the bed.

"Fuck", he mutters, his breath still a little uneven.

* * *

SURPRISE!

On Tumblr, I've asked people to pick who would be getting the surprise. Seth was victorious!

Who do you think she was? Elizabeth or Karen, and why? Who do you want it to be?

Let me know what you think of the story so far by showing me some reviewing love, hurr hurr.

Now, let me go take a cold shower...


	12. Chapter ten

Chapter ten

* * *

He barely slept the remainder of the night, with his dream still very vivid in his mind. In fact, every time he closed his eyes, the images would pop back up again. It was as if they were burned on the inside of his eyelids.

He lets out a rather loud groan as he lifts his head from the pillow and turns round, now lying down on his back and facing the ceiling. He lies there, still, for a couple of minutes, simply staring at the carefully crafted ceiling, discovering every little inch of it. He then turns to his side and grabs his cell phone from the table beside the bed. He enters his pin and checks the time. 07:45 AM. He lets himself fall back onto the bed and sighs. Even at this god ugly hour, he figures it's better to get out of bed and find some distraction.

Within minutes, he's dressed in a pair of jeans while wearing his favorite sneakers and a plaid button-up shirt, grey with white lines and little splashes of blue. He checks himself in the mirror and runs a hand through his hair. It's messy, _really _messy, but he can't be bothered too much about it - especially not at 08:15 in the morning.

"Fuck it", he says as he gave himself a glance over, seconds before rushing out of the door.

* * *

His decision to use the stairwell quickly backfires at him. He might've started it with the conviction that it would be serve as an useful training, knowing he has been slacking in that department, but, as he reaches the ground floor, he realizes he's more out of breath than he likes. He catches his breath and makes his way over to the lobby, where he spots two female employees.

"I honestly don't know what I'm doing here", she pauses her protest, "Why are we both here? No one is going to show up. You could've handle this all by yourself"

"Karen -", the brunette hisses between gritted teeth.

"Good morning, lovely ladies", Seth suddenly says as he approaches them, making sure to have one extra button unbuttoned to show some extra skin.

The blonde and brunette immediately stop bickering and turn around. He immediately notices the blonde's uniform - or lack off. She's not wearing any kind of uniform, but a short white blouse, with just the right amount of transparency to show off her red lingerie and with enough buttons open to show a great portion of her cleavage, making her full E-cup stand out greatly. His gaze lowers as he notices the tight black skirt that reaches just above her knees, accenting her curves on every possible and right way. She has slim legs and wears matching high heels. _Damn_, he thinks to himself as he licks his lips.

"See something you like?"

"Hm?", he mumbles back as he bites onto his lower lip, his gaze slowly but surely traveling north, reluctantly.

"Didn't your mommy teach you any manners?", Karen asks as she approaches him. He cocks his head slightly in response, raising an eyebrow. Soon, a playful grin tugs at the corners of his lips as she grabs his hand and brings it up to her face.

"Now, what are you going to do with that, miss…?"

"Walker. Karen Helen Walker", she says as she looks at him in a sensuous manner, taking a hold of his index finger and places it against her lips. She opens her mouth, the tip of her tongue starts to circle the tip of his finger, moments before she devours the slender finger and starts to suck onto it. As she goes up and down his finger, she stares deeply into his eyes, never breaking their contact - even though Seth's eyes switch between hers and the sexual movements her mouth is making. He can't help but feel mesmerized by her, even though he's not sure why.

"_Uhum_", someone suddenly says, clearing their throat, "Maybe you two should get a room." Immediately, Seth is ripped from the fantasia and looks over at her direction. He manages to retrieve his precious finger and makes his way over to Elizabeth. She's standing behind the counter and he decides to take advantage of that. She backs out, all the way until her ass hits the piece of furniture and Seth still approaches her.

_Fuck._

He places both of his hands on top of the wooden desk, on each side of Elizabeth's body so she has nowhere to run to, blocking her movements completely. In other words: she's captured by him. He leans in, closing their proximity as their bodies are only separated by a few inches. Due to the sudden increase of warmth creeping up all round her - outside, but also within her, a blush appears on her cheeks as she gazes into his gorgeous brown pools.

"When do you get off?", he huskily asks near her ear, his tone of voice even more richer and deeper than usual as he places a knee between her legs.

_Now..?_

She laughs and places her hands on his chest, pushing him lightly away and she immediately realizes it was the most stupidest thing she could've done. Yesterday, she had the delight to gaze upon his flesh, now, she could actually cop a feel and she does not mind it - at all.

"Get off of me, you pervert", she laughingly says, still pushing - well, _feeling._

He tilts his head so that he can stare back into her hazel eyes. "I'd like to buy you a drink", he mumbles as a soft, barely visible smile appears on his face. In the back, Karen crosses her arms and pouts her lips, uttering, "How precious"

"I think you've already had quite a bit last night, you wouldn't want to overdo it and end up with your liver malfunctioning, do you?", Elizabeth asks as she looks around her, trying to find a way out. Knowing it's of no use, she looks back at him and is greeted by a big, mischievous grin. He clearly read her mind.

"You're just scared"

She scoffs, "I'm not scared"

"Then why won't you have a drink with me? Just one," he frowns lightly as he shows his pearly white teeth with that endearing smile of his, "Come on. It'll be fun."

"Yeah", Karen now scoffs, "And she's all for fun."

She briefly looks at Karen before focussing her attention back onto the handsome gentleman before her, who has her in a very tight and delicate situation, with his knee mere inches away from her precious womanhood and his face just as close to hers, overloading her senses, "Fine. Just one drink, though. My shift ends at 4"

"See you at 4 then", he says, smiling widely and releases Elizabeth as he backs out, a twinkle visible in his eyes. Karen immediately sees her opportunity and places her hands on his shoulder, batting her eyelashes at him, "How about we grab a bite tonight? I know this lovely little place here in London"

He smirks at her, "Sure". Karen replies with the same kind of smirk as Seth starts to walk away from the two women, but not before giving them a small nod.

"This means nothing", Karen suddenly hisses at Elizabeth when Seth is out of hearing distance, "He will pick me. You'll see". Karen immediately turns her back to Elizabeth, pretending to be busy.

You know what? She'd prove Karen wrong. She would get this guy her way and he would favor her above Karen.

* * *

"When do you get off?" - there's more than one way one can take this. -coughs-

They also say that one gets a twinke in his eye when he sees something he likes, in other words: likes to fuck. I'm not sure if it's true, I heard it like ages ago from one of my best friends when we were in high school (and I now wonder how she got her information. Why didn't I back then?) and thought it was funny to use. 'Cause I like twinkles, betch. I've been called a fake Negro at work today. So made my day. I've also been called Charlie the Unicorn before, not sure if I should be happy about that...

Yes, go underdog. Whoo!

Anyways, I'd love to say more kickass, awesome stuff here in the authors note, but I caught a cold and am currently out of my mind (when am I not, right?). Goodnight ya'll. Catch you in the next one. Hope you enjoy this little chapter.

Peace out!


	13. Chapter ten point five

Chapter ten point five

* * *

As the hours pass and noon comes around, Elizabeth isn't so sure of her case anymore. She starts to doubt herself, even. She has remembered his name from when he introduced himself to her: Seth MacFarlane. Using the magical worldweb, she found out that he is quite the man, with having three successful animations, a movie that turns out to be a big office hit, an album that shows off his rich and deep voice, an upcoming scientific show and other prestige awards. And it only seems to be the beginning of his career, judging by what he has accomplished in such a short period of time. Needless to say - everybody wants him and he can have everyone. Surely, women are lining up for him - heck, even men are! With that happening, why would he be interested in her? A nobody, a puny bartender. She isn't even that good looking, she knows that. She knows damn well that Karen is the attractive one of the two and that most people will pick her above Elizabeth. Truthfully, she _is_ Little Miss Perfect.

So, why would he, of all people, in his right mind, choose Elizabeth above Karen?

And what would it mean if he does pick her?

Would it mean anything?

Will she mean anything?

Will she just be another fun little game to him?

With the thoughts preoccupying her mind, she absently rolls a pen up and down her desk as she supports her head upon her left hand. She sighs, "What to do? What to do?".

She looks to her right and glances at a premier photograph of Seth. He is fully dressed in black, wearing a silky black blouse, with a black woolen blazer, black khakis and matching black patent leather shoes. She scrolls down the page and on each photograph that she comes across, there is a huge grin plastered upon his face, his eyes glistering in excitement, a few lost hairs visible on his chest. From top to toe, he looks very dapper and well-groomed. She closes her eyes and sighs once more, a small sense of disappointment wavering through her body. She shakes her head, eyes still firmly shut.

"There's no way I'm going to win this", she says, opening her eyes. She then stares at a certain piece of clothing.


	14. Chapter eleven

Chapter eleven

* * *

Her shift is slowly drawing to its end and normally, she would've loved it, would've had a little victory dance, but under these circumstances, it feels as if a big knot starts to form in the pit in her stomach, with caterpillars crawling vigorously there, fear building up. With each passing minute, her nervosity becomes worse and worse, until 4 pm comes along and the caterpillars seem to finally explode abruptly. Sweat slowly starts to break out, her hands becoming clammy. "I can't do this", she tells herself, eyes shifting heavily.

"Hey pretty lady", James all of the sudden says as he enters her office. Immediately, an eyebrow is raised.

"You know it's polite to knock first?"

"Yeah," he says calmly, waving it off as he takes a seat across from her and crosses his legs, "So, I heard from a little birdie that you're having an insignificant date with our hunky mystery guest."

"That's about right, yes"

Damn you, Karen. No one else but her could've and would've spilled the beans.

"And knowing you," he looks on his watch, "this would be about the perfect time to freak out".

"I'm not- I'm not freaking out", she scoffs, hoping to hide her little meltdown from moments before he came in the room.

"Oh yes, honey", he says as he grabs her hands with his, holding them gently, "Keep telling yourself that, but you kinda have to agree with me that he's polite"

Elizabeth looks absentmindedly away as she bites onto her lower lip, "Yeah"

"You also have to agree that he's well-mannered"

"Yeah"

"You have to agree that he's nice"

"Yeah"

"You _also _have to agree that he's sexy as fuck."

She sighs and roughly pulls her hands away from James, "I hate you for doing this to me. Stop making me like him, damn it!" Suddenly, she gets up from her seat and starts to pace, sighing frustrately as she pinches the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb. James sits back and folds his arms before his chest, a smug grin present on his face.

"You like him. Oh. My. God", he exhales with joy

"I don't like him", she places her hands onto her hips and looks away, muttering, "very much"

He claps his hands together like an overly excited schoolgirl, "How thrilling!"

"Very", she eyes him quite dangerously and sighs as she takes a seat, giving up her big girl attitude, "What am I supposed to do now, James?"

"I don't know, eh," he pauses and gives her a know-it-all look, "This may be an absurd thought, but how about you enjoy yourself and flirt a little?"

Elizabeth scoffs once more, "Yeah, right, 'cause that's what he wants. How will I know if he likes me?"

"You meant to say _loovveeeess _me, right?", a devious twinkle is present in his eyes as he puts a harsh emphasis on the love bit. She immediately shoots him an icy glare.

"Anyways", he coughs to clear his throat, gesturing to move on, "He pressed his body up against yours, you can safely say he's interested"

"But on what level?"

"Oh, come on! Does that really matter? Honey, you need to get a little _bestial_", he adds as he gives her a head to toe glance over, "Rather sooner than later"

"I don't", she objects harshly, feeling offended.

"Really?", he looks at her, his expression deadpan, "When was the last time you had sex?"

"That's none of your business", she pauses and grabs something, "I need to run. Have this date with a big, important fella, remember?"

"Let me know how it went", he shouts after her, smirking widely as she hastily makes her way towards the bar. As she follows the path she often walks on a day to day basis, she can't help but think back about the conversation she just had. James always has a very calming effect on her, until now, now that he was out of the picture. And the chaos starts to take control of her again. The tension slowly starts to build up within her, the insects reappearing. Why would she even get so nervous over this? She deals with hundreds of customers per week, if not thousands during busy seasons. Why would a mere date be any different? It's _insignificant_, as James said.

Arriving at the lobby, she inhales deeply and looks over her shoulder to see Karen, who's watching her intensely. If only looks could kill.

"You have two hours, Clark. Use them well", she bites at her.

"Don't worry. I intend to"

I hope she rots in hell. There, I said it. I finally said it. If I only had the guts to tell her. In her face.

"Good, because you know, after having dinner with him, he'll forget all about your puny little date. Forever." Karen winks at her opponent, whereas Elizabeth smirks back at her before heading towards the bar area. There, she immediately spots Seth sitting at one of the red leather banquettes, alone, still wearing the same getup as this morning.

* * *

He looks up and notices her, he smiles.

_Why is he smiling?_

I can't help but respond with a smile as well as I approach him.

"Hey", I try to say as casually as ever as I feel how my heart starts to dangerously throb in my chest.

"Hey", he says as he gets up, "You're early".

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want to throw away any of our precious time"

_My God, why do I sound like a girl that just hit puberty?_

He smirks at my remark and gestures for us to sit down. I do as told and he silently follows.

"So, what did you have in mind?", I ask him.

"Well, I was hoping to get you out of that uniform and go somewhere fun", he innocently smiles, probably unaware of what he just implied. But he can quickly tell by the sudden yet faint blush on my cheeks. "If you know what I mean", he quickly adds, laughing a little nervous. "Of course", I nod in agreement, smiling back at him. An awkward silence fills the air for a couple of minutes.

"Come on", I say and abruptly get up, catching him by the wrist and take him with me to the employee's changing room.

"You're sure I'm allowed in here?", he asks as he hesitantly stops dead in his tracks at the threshold of said room.

"Yes, you have my word", I say as my hand slides oh so casually down his, my fingers gently brushing the palm of his hand before hooking themselves with his. He chuckles nervously, his cheeks turn a slight rose at the warm touch as I drag him along, dragging him inside.

"Just like high school", he mutters as he looks around him, taking in the room, "Except it doesn't smell as bad and I'm not being stuffed into lockers"

I let go off Seth and turn round to look at him, "You? You were stuffed into lockers?"

A smile appears on his face, the cute dimples appearing as he remembers the past, "Oh, yeah".

"Huh", I mumble, astonished by this new information. It makes me wonder what he was like back in the day, but I quickly shake it off, smirking back, "Well, you sure as hell showed them". What a lame ass come back, I mentally remark. I turn my back to him, hoping to hide my embarrassment and open my locker to reveal my day to day outfit: a pair of good ol' jeans, a classy black tunic with the cutest little braided belt to finish the look and black Tom Tailor sneakers. Seth peeps into my locker, gazing from my shoulder and I can just _hear_him smirking at what he finds.

"Don't judge me, I know what you're going to say anyways, " I immediately protest as I look at him through the corners of my eyes, "After a hard day's of work, the last thing I need to walk in are high heels"

"I understand completely," he raises his arms in defeat, "Aside from the high heels".

"Uhuh, like you never wore some," I playfully poke him in the stomach with my elbow and grab a certain piece of clothing, throwing it against Seth, "I still had this lying around".

He removes the piece of clothing from his head and holds it in front of him to give it a close inspection. "Huh", he remarks, baffled, "You actually got the stain out".

"What can I say? A little magic always does the trick"

He looks up and sees how I have my cheek turned at him, tapping it lightly. "Come, come", I say with a devious and playful smirk. Without thinking, he leans in and places a kiss on my cheek. "Thank you", he breathes after his lips have been lingering a little too long on my skin.

_I can't believe he actually did that!_

"Just make sure to never forget it", I respond as I notice that his face is mere inches away from mine, feeling how all the heat within my body moves up to my cheeks. I direct my gaze in front of me, at the mirror in my locker as I start to unbutton my vest and blouse underneath.

"You might want to look away"

"Now why would I do that?", he playfully asks as he takes a seat about a meter away from me, his gaze fully directed at me and my semi-half undressed body. I chuckle in response, "Right. You're one of 'em pervs. I could've known."

"I'm no such thing", he says, his tone of voice showcasing the fact that he feels very offended by my statement, "Sure, I do enjoy watching a gorgeous girl undressing herself before me, especially when she doesn't even try to hide herself."

I shoot him a look.

"What? It's not like you're forcing me to turn around and look the other way"

_Is he implanting I'm such a slut for letting him peek?_

"I see. So, you blame me for not being narrow-minded enough to put you in place?" He remains silent, causing me to look down at him after hanging my vest up in my locker. He gives me a little shrug, with that mischievous expression present on his face. I smirk back as I slowly and dramatically, just to tease, start to remove my blouse. Just as the removal of my blouse starts to show off some great skin, the smirk widens at the sight before me - Seth is very much focussed on my fingers, a little too much, with his mouth lightly open, licking his lips several times in response.

"And now turn around."

* * *

"Where are you taking me?", Elizabeth asks as Seth guides her through various of streets, his hand holding hers while doing so.

"Hakkasan, you're familiar with it?"

"Oh, yeah. It's hard to get in there, how did you-", she looks at him and he looks innocently back at her, grinning and she smirks back, "Never mind. I'm sure you have people that get you into every place".

"It's amazing what they can do in such a short amount of time", he cheerfully says. He then abruptly stops, catching Elizabeth with one arm before she bumps into him. He gestures her to look in front of her and she does. Her eyes are immediately directed upon two big, muscular guys. Security, obviously. They're standing in front of metal double doors, with a blue neon sign on top that says, "Hakkasan".

It doesn't take long for them to bypass the long line in front of the entrance of the bar as Seth casually gets ahead of the line and informs them who he is, showing his identification, and within seconds of verifying that he's indeed Seth MacFarlane, they're already in the club and making their way downstairs. All this while he's holding her hand, _still._

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a creepy basement where a lot of bad shit happens", Elizabeth says as she looks around the dark place, their descent still continuing. She can hardly see anything, in fact - she can hardly see Seth in front of her. She can only hear him chuckle in response and, all of the sudden, very dimmed light hits them. It's as if you open your eyes for the first time after a nice, long sleep and can't quite manage to stay awake, fading in and out. The light comes closer and closer until the long, thin strip of a bar with bright blue lights attract their attention. They've entered a somewhat dark room, with bright neon-lights, mainly different shades of blue, pop up here and there. It's everywhere. Everywhere! There are many Chinese screens. The furniture is mainly black, but here and there are different shades of purple and pink, mingling with the blue ambiance.

It's surprisingly modern and semi-Asian, for a basement that is.

Overall, it throws her off and she can't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Welcome to what's supposedly one of the greatest hot spots in London", Seth beams.

He takes her with him towards a quiet spot behind Chinese screens, in one of the corners of the room. There's a low table, with the same see-through blue neon-lights pattern in it as the rest of the bar and purple banquettes are stationed there. They take a seat and barely leave them for the rest of the evening, aside from having a few dances together. The rest of the evening is also spend on trying out different kinds of drinks, varying from cocktails to the more stronger kind.

* * *

"You know, I actually had a great time", Elizabeth says as they enter the lobby of the hotel. She checks the time on her watch and notice that his little date with Karen should've started over two hours ago. She smirks contently to herself. Guess whose date he actually forgot?

"Why do you sound so surprised?", he asks, his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans as he looks her in the eyes.

"I just thought it would be a drag", he frowns and cocks his head at her, "I mean, you'd suspect big Hollywood guys like yourself to be selfish, arrogant pricks and you're not. You're actually kind off…. sweet"

He chuckles, "Just don't let anyone else know. I've got a reputation to maintain". She laughs in response and lightly touches his arm, "Well, thank you. Really".

"No problem", he says, looking at her hand for a few seconds, blinking. His gaze then moves upwards to meet hers again. Within seconds, he cups her face with one of his hands, smiling before he leans in and brushes his lips against hers, while in the back - a green Karen stands and beholds the two sharing a long awaited kiss.

* * *

IF YOU DON'T REVIEW THIS CHAPTER, WHERE I SPEND THE LAST THREE DAYS ON, I WILL SEND LIAM NEESON AFTER YOUR ASS AND HE _WILL_ FIND YOU AND HE _WILL_ FORCE YOU TO EAT YOUR OWN SHIT. BOOYAH!

This chapter is actually one of the reasons why I like gays and their stereotype. They make up for great best friend forever material. So much fun banter!  
And of course, the date will come back in an upcoming chapter, throughoughly discussed. And I swear, if you search for the world ''smirk'' in this chapter, you'll have like 500 words. I swear. I need to stop doing that, hah. Why must he be such a cutiepie when smirking, though? I blame him.

Also - cookies to those who noticed the sudden change in writing!

Thanks goes out to Ash and Gabsies for inspiring me to write this chapter and giving me a little kick in the bum, da bum.


	15. Chapter twelve

Chapter 12

* * *

His lips carefully touch mine, gentle. My eyes widen slightly, stunned at this sudden action. But within seconds, I start to kiss him back, placing a hand on his waist. I close my eyes to fully focus myself onto our lips, noticing how soft his are, with a slight taste of alcohol lingering on them. My hand moves from his lower abdomen towards his chest and from his chest towards his head. I don't hesitate one bit when my fingers ruffle through his hair from his nape, entangling themselves with his dark locks. Surprisingly, his hair feels nice to the touch, with it being unaffected by any kind of hair products. It makes it easier for my fingers to run through it. I tighten my grip on his hair and pull slightly, it resulting in a soft moan against my lips.

All of the sudden, a small suckling noise is heard at the same time as when I feel his lips parting from mine, his body heat slowly vaporizing from my personal space and the warmth of his touch on my face abruptly disappears. I can feel him pulling away from me as my hold of his hair reluctantly loosens and loosens until he's no longer near me or within my reach. In seconds, I open my eyes and see Karen and Seth before my eyes, one of her hands gripping his bicep tightly as she holds one of his hands with the other one. Their eyes are locked, but Seth is heavily frowning. I grit my teeth to hopefully subdue the anger bubbling within me. I feel like yelling at her. She pulled us apart, right in the middle of our passionate, unexpected kiss. Damn her. Seth must've picked up on my annoyance by some form of telepathy as he turns himself to me, his frown quickly fading and turning into a warm smile, his eyes crinkling when he does so. I stare back at him, mesmerized by his sweet smile, seeing how the dimples in his cheeks appear. I smile back at him as I completely forgot why I was angry in the first place.

"Eh, hello?," Karen nearly shouts as she turns him to look at her, "I thought we were supposed to have a dinner date like two hours ago. What's up with that?!"

I remember.

"I'm sorry", Seth says as he quickly steals glances with me, smirking slyly, "We must've lost track of time"

"I'm sure you did", she hisses as she folds her arms before her chest, releasing her grip on him.

I frown as something suddenly catches my attention. "Wait. You've been waiting here for him all this time?", I ask her, a devious, humored smirk obviously present.

"Yes, I have", she says, avoiding my eyes.

What a dork. I can't help but let out a chuckle at this. However, I kinda feel bad for her at the same time. Christ. Why am I feeling bad for her?

"I'm sorry, that's not very polite of me. How can I make it up to you…", he asks himself, touching his face as if to seem in deep thought, "How about we reschedule for tomorrow?"

"Sure", she immediately beams cheerfully, a big grin present on her face.

"You have a late shift, though", I butt in, intentionally killing her mood. She shoots me a death glare.

"Lunch, then?", Seth asks casually as he places his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Sounds good. See you at noon", she says, twirling a blonde stray of hair around her finger before winking at him and walking away, putting quite an emphasis on her hips as she does so: her hips swaying effectively back and forth. I frown and turn my gaze towards Seth, who seems completely taken a hold of the hips and the Nicki Minaj ass. I softly hit him in the stomach, even though hard enough to draw his attention back to the proper subject: me. I playfully smirk at him as he looks at me, rubbing the spot where I hit him. Our eyes lock as I stare deeply back into his brown pools. It seems as if every bit of warmth within my body either creeps up to my cheeks or down to the pit of my stomach. He smirks back at me, but mine fades and I cock my head, placing my hands onto my hips.

"You know she's trying to lure you into her trap right? She might bite your head off when you do", I say, a little bit worried as, so far, she seems to be doing great at succeeding in her task. He chuckles and directs his gaze at the ground for a few seconds, his hands deeply buried in his pockets. He then looks back up, meeting my gaze.

"I know", he says seriously without the company of his signature smirk. I nod acknowledgedly, and all of the sudden, I start to feel a little awkward.

What now?

What am I supposed to do? Go home? Peck him on the cheek, letting him crave for more? Or should I just go with it and throw myself at him, kissing him vigorously? Gosh, that would be more something Karen would do. Not me. Never...! I'm a lady, for christ's sake! Though, he is looking mighty fine...

Focus, Elizabeth, focus!

I mentally shake my head as I rub my hands together, clearing my throat, "Um, I should be going now. As I said, I had a great time. Thank you". I make a move to turn around and leave, but he catches my arm. "Wait", he says, his voice stern. I look up from over my shoulder before turning around to fully face him, a few butterflies awakening in the pit of my stomach as I'm curious to see or feel what's going to happen next, "Yes?".

However, this pleasant slowly fades away when he quickly lets go of me. His warm signature smile is back though, making me smile back oh so fakely back, feeling a little letdown.

"I was just, eh... wondering if you'd like to join me?"

I mentally smirk at the boyish nervousity in front of me, "For what?".

"For dinner", he says, his tongue slowly licking his lips. He follows by biting down onto his lower lip, and both actions have my complete attention, my eyes fixated on them. It might've not been something I expected, but it's arousing nonetheless. The memory of him abruptly kissing me passionately on the lips with those soft pair of his is still very vivid in my head. I absentmindedly lick my lips, recalling the sensations and feelings I experienced. All of the sudden, he smiles, showing his perfect white teeth. He bends forward after getting no response, making sure he's once more in my personal space and staring me directly in the eyes. He chuckles heartedly when I jump a little up due to his promixity as I regain consciousness.

"You didn't see a thing", I state as he has an odd look twinkling in his eyes. A playful smirk appears as his brown pair start to focus themselves on my lips, whereas I can't help but feel once more awkward, blushing lightly as I fight back the urge to kiss him right here and now.

"What do you mean? I didn't see anything," he says, still smirking so seductively yet mischievous, "But, I asked you if you would like to have dinner with me?"

Immediately, my eyebrows shoot up. He wants to have dinner, with _me_? My blushing worsens, a reddish shade appearing on my cheeks.

"Yes, with you"

My eyes slightly widen. Fuck, did I just say that out loud? My response seems to humor him as I notice how his smirk widens in amusement, eyes narrowing and crinkling. I… I can't even be mad at him, look at him. He looks adorable.

"You mean now?", I manage to squeak.

"Yes!", he exclaims happily and a bit excited, perhaps a little too overly excited, well – too much for *just having dinner*, anyways.

"Oh yeah, sure," I respond casually, trying to come off as cooly as I can, "You know, I've heard that they've got a pretty damn good chef in this joint".

"Really?", he asks, trying to sound as fascinated as ever. He places a warm hand gently on my back as he gestures me to the dining area. I abruptly turn myself to face him, holding a hand up as I give him a look-over, from head to toe.

"You need to look smart. You need to put on a jacket", I protest to his clothing. He's still wearing the same outfit as he did this morning. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, not at all – it places a delightful emphasis on the slight muscles appearing on his lower abdomen, his flat, broad chest and his present biceps. But, chef Ramsay demands neatly dressed people in his restaurant.

"You're serious?"

"Yep. If they'll allow us inside, that is, since we haven't booked a table beforehand", I look at Seth and see the astonishment on his face, "It's one of the hottest restaurants in London, if not the hottest. It's always packed. What did you expect?"

"Do you know who I am?", he asks, scoffing lightly.

"Hm", I loudly pretend to think, pressing a finger against my lips and as I do so. I catch him staring at it, however brief it might be. I pretend to be completely innocent and naive, "Donny Osmond?"

He bursts out in laughter, "Oh, I see. You're precious, aren't you?". I simply yet slowly shrug at his remark, with a small, amused grin lingering on my lips, "Only as precious as you make me out to be".

"Well, in that case," he says as he places both of his hands onto my waist and pulls me towards him, his body now mere inches away for me as he stares into my eyes, "You're very precious".

"Ah," I breathe absentmindedly, locking gazes with his and I feel a familiar sensation rising up again. I place my hands at the back of his neck, I teasingly lean in and whisper into his ear, "Let's just get you properly dressed first". I remove my hands from his body, grab a hold of his and remove them from mine. I look back into his eyes and see the slight disappointed present in his features, but he tries to hide it. With brown eyes closely monitoring my movements, I entwine my fingers with his and start walking towards the elevator, pulling him along. Within seconds of pushing the down button, the elevator doors spring open. A few people come out and I enter, taking Seth with me inside as I do so. I immediately press onto number six and stand back. I catch him cocking his head at me, eying me curiously. He must be wondering why I know which suite he has. I simply smile warmly at him.

The last few people exit the elevator and immediately, I feel a pair of lips crashing down on my throat, his lips plant kisses on the sensitive spot just above my collar bone. I giggle at the abrupt ticklish sensation, "Seth, what the he-". I'm cut off by a sudden moan escaping my throat, closing my eyes as he starts to make his way up my throat, sucking at my bare skin there. I place my hands onto his chest and start to press him back, attempting to get him off of me. The elevator doors lock and starts to move.

"Seth", I warn him, my tone of voice strict.

"Stop. Resisting. For once", he breathes against my jaw.

* * *

Golly, is this a new chapter?!

Sorry about the long wait, you guys. I've been suffering from a small writer's block on this story. And to be honest, if it wasn't for someone's birthday (you know who you are), this chapter would've been hella boring. But hey, I made it a little spicier. Thank you to those who have been kicking my ass to write something and thank you for being patient. I hope you enjoyed yourselves.


	16. Chapter thirteen

Chapter 13

* * *

A warm hand touches me on the shoulder, shaking me lightly, but I seem to vaguely comprehend what's going on. This time, a nudge follows.

Another one.

Another one.

_"Love…?"_, I hear, worry clearly present in the tone of voice.

I don't respond.

I'm too busy and pre-occupied with Seth and his movements, as my senses have a lot to process. His hands are tightly pressed against my lower back, whereas my skin is chilling because of the cold metal of the elevator. However, his hands seem to be doing a pretty decent job at warming my skin back up as he's frantically sucking and biting on the bare flesh in my neck. My eyes are firmly closed in ecstasy, moans frequently escape my throat as, between nibbles, he speaks dirty to me in a low, husk voice. My fingers dig deeper into his hair, entwining with his dark locks. His body scent arouses me, immediately hitting my sex. Heck, everything is currently making me as wet as a swimming pool. He smells manly, mixed with a fresh-savoring cologne. My other hand is placed against his chest, tightly and securely having a grip on his shirt, knuckles turning white as the now tight blouse hugs his muscles beautifully. I can feel the rising stiffness in his jeans, as it presses against my abdomen.

His broad and big hands slowly start to travel downwards, towards my ass. He abruptly picks me up. Immediately, I wrap my legs around his waist as he forcefully pushes me against the cold steel. His hands remain on my tush and I roughly grab him by the collar. I draw him in, in a passionate kiss, immediately dipping my tongue vigorously into his mouth as my fingers quickly work on unbuttoning his shirt.

All at once, a rough nudge throws me off and I blink a couple of times to take in my surroundings. I'm still in the elevator, all right. I look to my left and see Seth looking at me, frowning heavily. I then notice his hand on my shoulder, I frown back in confusion.

" What?", I squeak, immediately realizing how awfully dry my throat is. I swallow hard several times to get rid of it, it being in vain.

"Are you okay?", he asks, the worrying tone of voice being familiar. It was his earlier, I realize.

I lick my lips, looking around me, "What? What just happened?".

" I'm not sure. All of the sudden, you backed out and started to moan", he says, removing his hand. His body heat leaves mine and straight away, I notice the change. The coldness of our surroundings start to take a hold of me again. I start to blush quite heavily at his remark.

"Really?", I try to play, eying him suspiciously as I wonder how much he heard and had seen. He nods, hands burying deep into his front pockets.

"Well, I must be tired", I nervously say and try to laugh it off.

"Ah", he says, eyeing me and giving me an once-over. He says nothing else.

"Yeah, that must be it", I say after a brief silence, looking away as I lie my ass off. I can't even look him straight in the eyes anymore. I feel bad.

"Okay, if you believe that that is what it was, all right", with that, the elevator doors spring open and Seth starts to make his way out of the metal box. "You know", he says, looking at me from his shoulder, "I had a sex dream about you once". A naughty expression appears, a wicked smirk fading in as well, tugging furiously at the corners of his lips. He instantly disappears to the right the following second. I cock my head curiously as I try to understand what he'd just said.

A sex dream, about me? I scoff. He must be kidding!

I look up and notice suddenly that I'm in a full elevator. It's packed. Furthermore, I see the doors slowly sliding shut again before me.

"Shit!", I shout as I jump up and struggle myself out of the tin can, barely making it as I push a lot of people face first against the walls of the futuristic piece of technology. Freed, I bend down and catch my breath, breathing heavily as my hands touch my knees, resting there. I come back up a few seconds later, more calmed down and so has my breathing. I press a hand firmly against my side, "Good God. I need to exercise".

I look up and see Seth looking at me, he's standing a few yards ahead of me, with an amused smirk present on his face.

"What are you looking at?," I bite him, "It's not funny".

"Yes, it is", he says, his tongue scraping the inside of his mouth, clearly still very entertained. I grit my teeth at him. "Cheeky bastard", I mumble underneath my breath as I make my way over to him. Offhand, I attack him, giving him a few light punches against the arm.

"Hey", he says as he immediately takes a hold of his arm, his anger switching for laughter after seconds, chuckling, "What the fuck are you doing?". I don't even respond to that normally. I playfully hit him in the stomach, making him realize his only defense or way out of this, thus making me stop, is to indulge me and fight me - and ultimately win this.

"I'm not a child", he blurts out, sure as hell giggling like one as he tries to stop my teasing by grabbing my hands. After a few tries, he successfully manages to do so. He then holds up my hands right in front of our eyes, which are secured tightly within his grip, as he pulls me closer to him. The amused smirk reappears, eyes twinkling brightly and I feel, now more than ever, to urge to wipe it off of his smug face. But I can't do anything, with my hands now gone, I can't properly protest or fight back.

All of the sudden, I smirk widely back at him and see how his expression falters, fading ever so slowly. He must've realized I'm up to something.

Within seconds, I hook my leg around his and pull as hard as I can, shifting my leg to my left, using my body as well. He tries to fight back by using his own body weight in this tough battle, but it only makes it worser. Gravity kicks in and we fall on the floor like a perfect Jenga tower.

"Ouch", he mutters as he's fallen on his back, taking most of the damage, but I don't even give him the time to properly recuperate. I immediately grab him by the wrists and hold him down, placing each hand near his head. I park my sweet little ass right on top of his stomach, hearing him growl at the sudden weight sitting on top of him.

"Not that big of a boy anymore, huh?", I say as I look him right in the eye, feeling accomplished and mighty as fuck.

He tries to look up, lifting only his head as he fails to get the rest up, he tries, though. I can feel him attempting to rise on his feet, but my strength is bigger than he expects. The underestimation is his desctruction, as it causing him to fall down. He sighs and let his head fall back as well, his eyes closed as he does so. He then opens them and stares me down, eyes meeting and gazes locking.

* * *

Brought to you by waiting for 39 minutes for my bus to *finally* come and take me home, to sweet country roads.

-shakes head-

I don't even... no. So many feels. Anyways, I truly hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I had too much fun writing it, to be honest. I'm so sorry for making the near-sex experience a daydream, but hey, do you honestly think Seth would be that kind of guy to get it on right in front of people, in a public place? Oh, hell no. He just has dirty, naughty sex in the private atmosphere and comfort of his own, secluded little place.

Thank you all for the lovin', I adore it and it makes my day. And lord, do I have shitty days sometimes. I'm just kidding, I walk on colorful rainbows. Anyways, catch ya'll in the next one!


	17. Chapter fourteen

Chapter fourteen

* * *

I look him straight in the eyes. He frowns lightly before raising a single eyebrow. My mouth opens ever so slightly as I cock my head to one side. I'm baffled - not because of him, well, maybe, but more because of the muscles in my lower abdomen. The muscles there are clenching together at the mere sight of him, of me empowering him, having control over him. He's the subject of my wrath - or lenience. Whatever I intend to. It's not the other way around anymore. Butterflies seems to be vigorously and furiously crawling around my lower abdomen as well. And I don't find it particularly appalling either.

This is new.

I might - no, I am…

I actually have feelings for him, for this man underneath my grasp.

I suddenly realize I'm positioned in such a way that some might find sexual. My eyes grow big, I swallow hard and feel my cheeks heating up. Within a heartbeat, I release my grip on him and back out, getting up. I see him bend his head in confusion, wondering what just happened as I try not to look at him with my deer-caught-in-headlights look. However, he doesn't say anything. He simply shakes his head as if to shake it off of him and scrambles to his feet.

He stands before me, searching through his pockets. Within seconds, he retrieves his wallet and opens it, flipping through several cards before he takes one out, holding it between two fingers, his index and middle one, and holds it right in front of my nose. He waves it in front of me, moving his hand.

"Take it", he says after a while as I stare dumbfoundedly at him all this time. Frowning, being utterly confused, I take it. Our fingers brush lightly and I feel alive at the touch, electric surges running through my body and warming it up, ending at the pit of my stomach.

My muscles react instinctually there, as if this was a normal and natural occurrence. It's… odd, yet welcoming at the same time. I look at the card key, carefully inspecting it. It's the key to his grand piano suit. Then, I gaze up and stare at him, practically saying without uttering the words, "What the hell do you want me to do with this?". He buries his hands in the front pockets of his pricey denim fabric.

A small shrug.

A sweet smile tugs lightly at the corners of his lips as he searches for the right words, "It's not working properly. I was hoping you could find a way to fix it?"

He seems so innocent, so sincere, so honest, but I call his bluff. These card keys have been tested for long periods of time. They don't buckle under a few weeks of usage.

It's now my turn to object and raise a single eyebrow. "Oh, really?", I ask him, folding my arms before my chest. He pouts lightly, tracing his lips with his index finger and thumb. It catches my attention and momentarily, I forgot what I had asked. Unconsciously, I lick my lips as I stare at his, biting down on my lower lip afterwards. All of the sudden, I look up and am met with his gorgeous eyes. He must've caught me staring, I'm sure. I can see his eyes light up in amusement.

I bend my head to the side, squint slightly and hold the card up, "If you want me to open the bloody door so you can stare at my ass, fine. Just ask. Don't make up silly stories". - however adorable, I mentally add.

Ha! That'll teach him!

His eyes shoot up, making me smirk as I feel some kind of pride wash over me. It only lasts for about five seconds or so, because then, he starts to smile back at me. Uh, oh. Shit. He's gonna rebuttal, isn't he? And you can bet your ass it's going to be awesome.

He starts to bash his eyelashes adoringly as he gazes into my eyes. "Could you please, please", he says, putting emphasis, "open the bloody door so I can check your ass out?"

Shit, he got me there.

I glance over at him with a single eyebrow raised. Though, I can't fight back the small faint of a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. I do as I'm asked, without any further questioning and with much precision skills, I quickly swap the magnetic card through the reader and seconds later, a small sound of something unlocking is heard. I turn the handle and open the door. I direct myself towards Seth again, gesturing him to enter the room as I try to be my utmost kindest self, a wide smile present, "Here you go, Sir".

He cocks his head at me, minor amusement visible on his face as a slight, very faint smile appears. He then frowns, directs his gaze towards the ground and I can see an intern struggle displaying before me. I got him. Finally. About time as well. I cockily raise one of my eyebrows, steading myself as a smug smirk arises. He looks up as he passes me to enter the room, brows quickly shifting upwards as he notices my change of demeanor.

All of the sudden, he mimics my posture. A sly yet smug smirk emerges, showing off his incredible teeth and his features crinkle in result. His cheeks turn a soft shade of pink and his eyes twinkle with something I quite can't put my finger on. This… this doesn't look too good. I look into his brown pools and feel myself being drawn into them. I melt. He's just… perfect. Nothing more, nothing less.

"You know, my sex dream… about you… it.. eh… it..", the smirk grows bigger, cheeks are turning into a more vividly shade of pink, "It started out like this"

"What do you mean?", I frown. Oh, crap. I don't like the direction this is going.

"You know", he gestures, "with you opening the door for me". The smirk plastered upon his face seems to reach both of his ears. He looks like a young boy who's prank turned out to be a huge success. This is why he was so insisting, that I open the door. Of course, it makes sense now.

I smile politely back at him as he regards me closely. I can feel him monitoring me, every movement and emotion. Is he testing me again? I look down, feeling small and feeling as though someone took a stapler and nailed me quite securely and tightly to the ground. I feel how my cheeks warm up. They must be turning in the most darkest shade of red out there. I can't…

cope?

I feel overwhelmed.

Is that what it is? Is that what I'm feeling?

Is it too soon? Is it because he's a well-known celebrity?

"But, of course, the entry was completely different", he says as he slowly makes his way to me. I can't help but feel as if I'm his prey, with him being the predator, the hunter. This, this is serious. I'm not in my sandbox anymore. I can't hide - not behind my professionalism, not behind my colleagues, not behind a playful game, not behind the silly little bet. Behind nothing. I can't play this game anymore. I'm all alone, on this hotel floor, in the middle of nowhere and he's…he's still approaching me. Damn. This is for real. But is it to him? Or is he simply enjoying some of the nice, welcoming benefits after being in the UK for so long and so alone? He must assume that some benefits naturally come along with the bet, right? But I refuse to be some benefit. He must know this, must be aware.

I swallow hard and look up. He's standing right in front of me, staring down at me - his eyes have darkened, he licks his lips. Oh, shit. The hunger and longing is clearly present in his eyes.

"Seth", I suddenly say, my tone of voice warning as I've finally managed to find my voice. I raise a hand so that there's at least something between us, but he takes ahold of it and leans down, leaning in so that he can lightly brush his lips against mine.

"Don't", he whispers softly against my skin, his mouth pressed against the corner of mine. He moves, his lips placing kisses on my jaw and flesh. I close my eyes at the touch. It feels good, it feels … natural, actually. I didn't expect this, but then again, his company, his deeds and all have been a big surprise to me, especially how I respond back. I'm not even fighting back. It's.. unlike me.

My worries, doubts and fears seem to have been lifted, have vanished. Completely. Out of the blue. My trail of thought has been put to an abrupt halt as I feel how his lips press tenderly against my skin. Liquid warmth seems to build up within me, reaching every inch of my body through my blood. I practically bathe in it, this immensely powerful yet good feeling. No negative or contemplative emotion and thought can reach me in this state. I feel… in peace, warm, wanted. I notice how the butterflies in my stomach rise from their winter sleep once more and start to crawl, this time even more fiercer than before. My hand reaches up and my fingers tangles themselves in his hair, messing it up even more. I've been wanting to do that ever since my eyes noticed him and going through them earlier just made me want to do it on a daily basis. My gosh, it's so soft.

All of the sudden, quite abruptly, I can feel him stiffen underneath my touch and pull away, his warmth leaving mine. I immediately open my eyes and stare at him.

No!

Wait, why is he frowning?

"I don't want to jeopardize that what we have", he lightly shakes his head, not daring to look me in the eyes as he takes a few steps back, "not in this delicate and fragile state". With that being said, he immediately shuts the door right in front of me, leaving me behind in a perplexed state.

I blink a couple of times to process what has just happened. It was nice, it was going all right, didn't it? Why did he suddenly change his mind? I stand there, seconds, perhaps even minutes, staring at the door, trying to contemplate what had gone wrong. I wanted this, eventually, finally. I might've played him a little earlier, but he played just as much back.

Or did he?

Nonetheless, he seemed to want it as well. I'm not sure what happened. I wonder, what's on his mind?

Eventually, I decide to go home and rest, hoping to let it all sink in.

* * *

Yes, I know. It's about time I've updated. So sorry about that. I've been swamped with school, papers and projects were stacking up, not to mention exams. But now, that's all done and we can focus onto more pleasantries.

Hope you all are doing well. Take care and see you in the next one!


	18. Chapter fifteen

Chapter fifteen

* * *

He inhales sharply, remains silent for a brief moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

'Shit, I fucked it up, didn't I?', he thinks, shutting his eyes in a fast yet firm manner. He lowers his head and opens them again after what seems hours, hours spend in pure solitude and silence. Pondering, thinking. Rationality completely leaving him, leaving him alone with his worrying emotions. His hand hasn't left the door handle, hasn't even moved yet. He sighs again. But then, he clenches his jaw, gritting his teeth and suddenly slams his fist hard against the door.

Fuck.

Fuck!

FUCK!

Adrenaline starts to pump and course through his veins, his body. In a swift manner, he opens the door and peeks outside. He looks left and right, right and left for several times, comprehending. There's no one to be seen. Maybe, she's still here, somewhere in the building. A false sense of hope rises and he takes it with both hands, clinging to it. Abruptly, he starts to make a run for it - as fast as he can. He makes his way towards the elevators and takes a brief moment to see if her presence is there.

No.

Immediately, he starts running towards the flight of stairs, knowing that taking the elevator will take long, too long. He hastily makes his way down. He realizes he's running out of time, if it's not too late already. He jumps halfway down from the first floor to the ground floor, skipping a row of ten steps. He nearly, just nearly, falls flat on his face, and risked serious injury, but manages to maintain his balance at the very last moment. He considers himself lucky as he stands straight, bending down first. He pants heavily. He doesn't wait to catch his breath, letting it slow down, but immediately heads over to the lobby.

There, he looks around, skimming the oh so big space quickly, looking for a sign of Liz. Anything that will tell him that she hasn't left yet. That he can still make up for his mistake, can still make it right. Abruptly, his eyes stop on a certain, familiar silhouette. His heart starts to accelerate, starting to dangerously throb in his chest. He can feel his heartbeat all over his body, taking ahold of him. He swallows, and immediately notices it's hard to do so - his mouth feels dry and a lump has started to form in his throat. Sweats starts to form on both of his napes. Why is he suddenly so nervous? He takes a single step towards her direction, feeling how his hearts sinks deeper and deeper, beating harder, louder, overpowering his being.

What should I say?

What can I say?

I don't want to have awkward, rough sex with you because it would mean nothing to me right now and I don't want that? I want more with you?

How'll she react?

He swallows hard, hoping to get rid of the awful and unnerving feeling. He takes a couple of deep breaths in the hopes of calming himself down. It works, eventually. He can feel the fast pacing of his heart decreasing, becoming more steady. He then regards her. She's talking to someone, one of the other staff members and while he can't quite make out what she's saying, she seems to be constantly chuckling, giggling or laughing. Her brown hair flows naturally on her back as she wears a very fitting classy black tunic and a pair of jeans, which hugs her hips very beautifully, showing off the right kind of curves - especially with this back view. She's wearing black high heels to match her outfit, and matches it successfully so.

She's astonish- crap, she's moving! She's heading towards the exit and Seth immediately kick his walk into high gear.

"Elizabeth", he shouts after her, attempting to catch up to her, but she doesn't turn around. She doesn't even seem to hear him. He shouts again, several times to be certain, these times a little louder, a little more urgent. But no luck, she just won't stop heading out the door and look around, while in fact, Seth is attracting quite the public attention. Mentally, he tries to ignore the icy, amused stares and continues his conquest. But she, she doesn't even acknowledge him, for Christ's sake! She's barely a few meters away, practically at an arms length, it feels. She's so close, yet so far away. So distant.

He quickens his pace to at least force her to stare him in the eyes when she denies him, to give him a chance to be straightforward for once, to be honest and giving him the possibility to win her over. At least, he had the opportunity to say what he wanted to say, to get it off of his chest, even if she may deny him after his talk. He smiles to himself, certain of his case.

This is going to work.

It has to.

He catches up with her and spins her around. "Elizabeth", he starts, a big toothy grin greeting her.

"What the heck? Leave me alone, or I'm calling the police on you, you… you pervert!", she tightly grabs his shirt, clutching it in order to push him far, far away from her. His smile falters, fading away. He frowns heavily.

"I'm… I'm terribly, terribly sorry.", he mutters as he lets go of her, feeling embarrassed, ashamed even.

"You better be, creep", she scowls as she gives him a quick, foul look before turning around and hurryingly walks away. Seth's eyes widen in shock as he feels how his cheeks heat up, feeling like a fool. He feels like a mess, a mess that fucked up.

It wasn't her. She's already gone, long gone.

He closes his eyes, attempting to steady himself, his composure as he tries to ignore his emotions, tries to suppress the upcoming feeling of disappointment, mainly directed at himself, the feeling of failing, of being tired, of sadness, of anger. He wish he could sob, sob all night long. He tries to block it all out.

All of the sudden, laughter is heard behind him, followed up with an applause. Seth directs himself to where the mockery comes from, even though he secretly already knows who's mocking him. He sighs and bites the inside of his cheek, eyes furiously blazing when he opens them again.

"You look as if she just left you at the alter and you're desperately trying to get her back, sweeping her off her feet. Well, except for the last bit. That didn't happen", A smug, amused look is fully plastered on his face.

"Well, I'm glad my life humors you so much," he bites back and immediately, he sees his companion taking a step backwards, smile slowly fading away. Seth notices how he rapidly blinks his eyes for a couple of times - as if to comprehend the fact he really said that, because it's highly unlike him, but truthfully, he's just not in the mood, "But it's not a lousy chick flick".

He arches an eyebrow as the smug, amused smile re-appeares on the face of the other man.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!", he mimics. He regards Seth again after his little dramatic play, playing the whole bit out. Seth only licks his lips in response, trying to fight back the urge to unleash his fury at him. A moment of rather awkward silence follows and surrounds the two, whereas Seth doesn't even attempt to break it.

Finally, one decides to do so.

"Have you had any dinner yet?", he carefully and hesitantly asks.

"No", Seth softly responds, silent as he still feels enraged. His head faces downwards, gaze upon the marble tiles as he buries his hands deep in his front pockets.

"Want to join me?"

He frowns and remains silent for a couple of seconds, paying special attention to his breathing in the hopes of soothing himself down, "Sure".


	19. Chapter sixteen

Chapter sixteen

* * *

"So", Bill says, exhaling softly as he gathers his thoughts, "Let's just be blunt here. What's gotten up your ass?". His eyes hesitantly look away for a few seconds before looking back, eyes now piercing harshly at his younger friend, hoping he'll look him directly in the eyes. He doesn't, though. Bill takes another chug of white wine, hoping it provides him with extra encouragement as he feels how the soft, sweet liquid lightly numbs his tongue.

"Hmm?", Seth replies after a few seconds of utter silence while staring intensely at his dessert, poking it absentmindedly with his fork. Bill doesn't reply, simply stares instead and it causes Seth to look up. He frowns and lightly cocks his head to the right. He then shakes his head, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"I'd rather not discuss it", he opens them again and directs his gaze back towards the table, chewing onto his lower lip.

"Something's bothering you," Bill continues, eyes still fiercely piercing as he beholds his friend, watching how he nervously bites away, "You can't deny that".

"I'm not", he whispers, mind in a far, far away place.

"Oh, come on," Bill abruptly yet sternly says, "We've know each other for years now. There's nothing you can't say to me..." Bill's voice trails off when Seth looks up, nodding while his fingers touch chin and lips. He looks his older friend in the eyes, helplessly asking for advice.

"It's about that chick, isn't it?", he asks, perhaps a little too straightforward and bold.

Seth sits straight and licks his lips, "Yeah".

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Seth!," Bill immediately lashes back, causing Seth's eyes to widen ever so slightly. He then directs his gaze back towards the silverware, " You need to forget about her. We'll be going back to the States soon. How were you even going to have a serious relationship with her, with you being there and her being here in London?"

"I don't…", he shakes his head lightly, voice softening, "I don't know…"

"Forget about her. You shouldn't bother yourself with these things, especially not on your break from work. You need to enjoy yourself. Forget about the brunette and focus onto brighter things in life"

A mischievous grin appears on his face. He leans in, catching Seth's attention as he does so, causing him to look up. "Didn't that blonde girl also fancy you? She seemed eager, very eager. Seems like the type that will do anything without any strings attached, if you catch my drift", he winks, wiggles his eyebrows afterwards while the dangerous grin is still present, "You should have fun and focus on her."

"You think so?", he asks, a small pinch of hope present in his tone of voice.

"Oh, absolutely," Bill smirks wickedly at his younger friend, reassuring his protegee, "Fantastic figure, really"

Seth chuckles when he sees Bill trying to contain himself from laughing his ass off, knowing exactly what kind of perverseness is on his mind, "That, she does".

* * *

You can just feel what I'm going to do, don't you? Don't you?! Somebody please stop me. Please.

Ain't Bill a bitch? Not sure why I made Seth so influenceable. Hmmm...

Enter here some more useless author's note. I'm so bad at these things. They're never fun.

Booyah? Have a nice Sunday? Don't drool and fangirl too hard over Seth's delicious muscles? (who am I kidding...)


	20. Chapter seventeen

Chapter seventeen

* * *

I stand on my tippy toes, attempting to enter our apartment without making any sound. Assuming I've succesfully managed to do so, inside, I stretch my arms as far as I can, suppressing a yawn.

"Honey! How the devil are you?", James suddenly asks, running towards me and sounding far too generous for my liking. He must've heard the door, my personal lapdog.

"I'm… fine", I say, knotting my eyebrows at his suspicious behaviour. I walk around him, pass him by with one swift move and immediately make my way towards the kitchen. I fill up the water heater and turn it on. I look up beside me and see how James has caught up with me, resting his arms on top of the counter with his head placed in his hand. He gives me his most endearing look. Something's definitely up.

"Okay, just tell me. What did you break?", I bluntly ask him, not wanting to beat around the bush while I eye our surroundings suspiciously for anything that's misplaced. Nothing seems to be out of order. He might've just glued it back together, though.

"I didn't – why must you always assume the worst?"

I cock my head, raise an eyebrow and place a hand firmly on my hip. I purse my lips at him.

"All right, all right. Say no more," James says, hands up in the air in defence as he backs out, parking his ass on the kitchen table, "But…."

Here we go.

"You were on a date with that drop-dead gorgeous man, weren't you?"

"I was", I say, focussing myself onto the water heat, which has started to go off.

"Fill me in, dearest! How'd it go? How was he? Was he a jerk? Was he a true gentleman? What happened? Did you two kiss? Did you do something more? Went to second-base, eh? Eh? Come on! Fill in me! Don't leave me hanging here!"

I picture James having a difficult time sitting on that table, as he must be practically falling from it due to sheer curiosity and interest in my love life. I pour myself a cup of tea, pretending to be busy as I try to hide the rising smirk. Flashbacks from earlier cloud my mind, butterflies in my stomach start to rise again, crawling furiously. My cheeks fluster at how vivid these images are – how kind he was, how warm he was, how honest he was. Not to mention – how soft his lips were, how he tasted. And then, other images flood my mind; how he suddenly backed out, rejected me. The growing smirk on my face falters as I remember what also happened. I let out the faintest of sighs before taking a sip of the warm, semi-dark liquid.

"Well?", James asks impatiently.

"It… went well"

There's a brief silence for a couple of seconds and I can just hear James' disappointment, hear how his excitement fades away as well.

"That's it?! 'It went well'? Geez, hold onto your tits, you crazy woman. You're the life of the party," he mocks me, "Come on, not even a 'he's so charming I could suffocate from breathing in the same air as he does'?"

I turn around, grinning ear to ear. "Yes. He _is_ charming, I just didn't suffocate", my grin disappears as I direct my gaze towards the delightfully fascinating floor, "I'm just not sure if I had the same effect on him". I quickly take a long sip of tea, to prevent myself from responding too quickly. I might say things I'll regret later on.

"What do you mean?", James frowns, "What happened?"

"I think… I fucked up"

James' eyes grow big, "WHAT?! What did you do? He seemed smitten, surely, you didn't do anything stupid enough to make him dislike you, did you? I mean, you're a bit dense, but you're not _that_ thick".

I slowly roll my eyes at his flattery, recalling the events. "I might've played him a bit. I wasn't too serious about his actions, I was positive he wasn't as well", I pause to look James in the eyes and see him hitting himself on the forehead, mouthing a few curse words, "There was a lot of flirting going on. I felt uneasy. What was I supposed to do?!"

"Flirt yo' sweet lil' ass back!"

"But that was bound to end up in spending the night with him!"

James cocks his head to the right, "Really? You finally found someone who's willing to do the nasty with you, someone who's wealthy and extremely attractive and you turn him the other cheek? Excuse me, but what the fuck is wrong with you?!".

"You don't think I know that?!," I suddenly lash back, setting the abrupt anger bubbling within me free, "It's not supposed to go this way. It's…"

All of the sudden, my phone cell buzzes. Angrily, I grab the electronic device. It could be from work. Perhaps they changed my shift, perhaps I don't even have to work at all. They always messed around with it, though, granted, getting off from work would be unlikely. I hold it up to notice I've received a single text message. Unknowingly, I open said text message and am immediately greeted by a photograph. My mouth opens, perplexed and I unconsciously let go of the mug. It shatters into thousands tiny pieces, and the warm liquid is set loose.

"…God"

James immediately raises a single eyebrow as he watches me take a seat, well – drop harshly into a seat, burying my head in my hands after slamming the mobile phone onto the table, "It's God?"

"No", I suddenly sob, which must've set off alerting bells as James immediately sits down besides me and grabs one of my hands with his, pinching it gently.

"Hey, it's all right," he says, attempting to comfort me by placing an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. Tears are now streaming down my face and I respond without thinking, without hesitation. I burry my head deeply in the crook of his neck. He places a hand against the back of my head as the other one caresses my back, slowly going up and down.

"There, there", he whispers softly into my ear as I try to regain my composure. I fail at it. My breathing is the farthest thing from being regular, my eyes sting from rubbing in them and I can't stop the goddamn tears from rolling down my cheeks. I feel sick, miserable and awful. James slowly lets go of my head and grabs my cell phone. He unlocks it, knowing my password. Immediately, the screen flickers, granting him access and he's greeted by Karen sucking the living daylight out of Seth with his shirt unbuttoned, showing off his abs splendidly. James grits his teeth, shakes his head lightly and places the phone back onto the table. He lets go of me and puts me back into the seat, holding onto me by placing both of his hands on each arm.

"Listen to me, honey", he says, drawing in my attention, "If you think you fucked up, you must do everything in your power to unfuck it. You have to make him realize that you're a wonderful, strong woman, that you're much better than Karen".

"Screw professionalism. Screw politeness. Screw tiny details and being too hasty. If you want to win him over, you've got to give him your best. You need to fight for him. Karen's not going to wait until you've made up your mind. Why should you make this so easy for her?"

I inhale deeply, realizing James makes a good point. Professionalism has been my downfall today. I know I always regress to this. It's my safety bumper. But how could I not? I've felt so awkward the entire day, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say or how to respond – I mean, properly say, instead of chasing him away with something I _might_ do or say that _might_ displease him. I've never had this problem when I was doing my job. I've always been eager to respond, never been at a loss of words. I feel safe in this position and yet, this man had to casually drop in one dark, boring night and has completely thrown me off in the events that followed. This.. this is new. And very unnerving. Now, I'm terrified with each and every step that I make, unsure what I can do. I've never felt so…. insecure. And this, this has driven him away from me, right into the grasping hands and expertise tongue of Karen. I've lost him to miss universally perfect. _Fuck._

He cups my cheeks, wiping the tears away with his thumbs as he gazes deeply into my eyes, "You know I'm here for you. Just let me know what to do and I'll do it".

* * *

I feel like this is a very bad romantic drama slash comedy. I also think this is the first time someone has cried in my fics. At least, I'm not used to it. When typing this, I just sat there, "Ok. So, she cries. What happens when she does?". Hah! Good things, good things...

Hope you enjoyed this little chapter. Let me know, I'd appreciate it a lot! See ya'll in the next one. If I don't update before Christmas drops by (which seems unlikely, but hey, you'd never know), I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

And please, hit that review button, because I'd love to get some feedback from you guys. I _need_ some feedback on this. I know you're out there, even from Turkey, Romania and other places I vaguely remember that are not the States. And even if you're from the States - revieeeewwwwww, pwetty pwease?


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